


The Chosen Twelve

by Quinntsu



Category: Final Fantasy XIV, LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Fluff and Angst, Gen, The Major Character Death is only a possibility.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-16 18:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21275564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinntsu/pseuds/Quinntsu
Summary: Twelve souls have been silently chosen to save their world from an encroaching threat dubbed 'The Mobius'. Each girl has their own story to tell, different hardships they must overcome before being ready to face a possible doom. Will the twelve accept their fate or deny it? Join them as they travel Luuna together!





	1. A sprint through the forest

**Author's Note:**

> The Preface notes are up and can be found here: https://twitter.com/MitsukiYatane/status/1193859516749602816?s=20
> 
> Please read them before you advance to Chapter 2!

_**Captain of the Guard - Haseul**_  
Haseul is the Captain of the Guard of the Gallan Empire. She is a stalwart Paladin dedicated to the protection of their Emperor. Her garrison, The Green Deer would describe her as a motherly figure, and could ask for no better leader. Haseul would sing similar praises to her Emperor whom she communicated with often. They were rarely seen apart, save when Haseul was training or commanding the troops, people would daresay they led the prosperous nation together.

Debris floated around us, reality was tearing at the seams, time began to expand and contract. I don't know how long we've been running for, and I'm amazed we haven't already been swallowed up. I held the Emperor's hand as we dashed through the thick forest, she looked exhausted. I caught a glimpse of The Mobius, it was so difficult to tell how close or far it was until it was too late due to it just looking like the expanse of space. We were going slower than I wanted to, as I needed to scout a relatively safe path for the Emperor, but at this rate it'd catch up…

_**Emperor Vivi**_  
Vivi is the Emperor of the Gallan Empire, a nation that was so ideal it was feared from the outside. She was very collected and often showed little to no emotion except a practiced smile her people were used to. She put her citizens before herself, and worked to the point of complete exhaustion, she was a dedicated leader. She relied heavily on the Captain and confided in them behind closed doors when faced with onerous decisions.

It was so difficult to run, I was in a white nightgown and matching fuzzy white slippers. Definitely not ideal wear to be sprinting through a forest. Haseul was gripping my hand a bit tighter than I'd liked, but it seemed to be out of pure panic. I could tell she was also trying to scout a path that I would be able to traverse easily, how thoughtful. At this rate however, our odds of surviving were quickly diminishing. I was exhausted, Haseul didn't even look like she was even breaking a sweat yet, all that training really paid off.

"Apologies your majesty, I really must pick up the--" She was cut short, her armour being snagged by a nearby branch. She stumbled, catching herself on a following tree.

"Haseul!" I gasped, almost falling myself.

"It's fine, your majesty." She replied, her head was hung low and I couldn't see her face.

"I'm tired, Haseul…" That kind of just, slipped out while I panted. The trees around us began to uproot, the encroaching Mobius forcing them out of the ground, the sound was deafening.

"I know, my liege, but we must go. We MUST." She slammed her gauntlet against the tree with her final word, startling me. I couldn't help it anymore, my chest got tighter, my breathing erratic and my eyes began to sting. Just seeing how close we were to being swallowed up and not knowing when that would happen terrified me. I'd never even considered my mortality so heavily until now. I stared at the grass beneath my now muddied slippers, mind racing until the Captain grasped my hand and began to lead me again.

This was pointless, we were just tiring ourselves out. There was no more reason to run, we don't even know when this gluttonous mass would cease, or if it even would. The Mobius, as our kingdom dubbed it, was a phenomenon that occurred where an expanse of void appeared and began to consume anything within range. The easiest way to describe it would be things being sucked into the night sky, yet in our plane of existence. I was over this, my feet ached and my body was going to give out. 

I yelled at Haseul, tears in my eyes. "We can't keep running forever, I can't keep running forever!"

_**Haseul**_  
In a single motion, I scooped the emperor by her legs, she was essentially being bridal carried now. 

"Haseul?!" She yelped. I broke into a full sprint no longer having to worry about escorting her through a safer path. I ran, and ran knowing I'd gained some distance from that maw, yet I didn't dare to look back. Vivi was about half my height, and this armour wasn't nearly as light as I made it look. Gods, when was this void going to stop? Was it ever going to stop? Oh gods, I can't be thinking about this I need to keep going, I need t-

"It's okay Haseul." The Emperor's soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I hadn't even noticed how slow I was actually going, reality warping was really disorienting. I looked down at her for the first time since I had carried her, a sweet smile contrasted her glossy eyes, my heart sank, my chest got tighter. It was so hard to breathe, I was so tired. I didn't even notice the tears streaming down my face until Vivi wiped one away.

"Y-Your Majesty… I-I…" I stuttered, fighting back the tears.

"You've done well, my Knight." She said through a wide smile, blinking as tears rolled down the sides of her eyes. No matter how soft that smile was, you could tell she too was afraid of meeting her doom. I broke, collapsing onto my knees suddenly, scaring the Emperor who instinctively yelped and wrapped her hands around my neck. I began to sob, my tears staining her ethereal white night gown. Was this how it was going to end? The Emperor and their Knight swallowed up by some damned void?! My breathing was erratic, a combination of panic and all the running I had done. Vivi hugged me tighter, nuzzling her face into my hair. My heartbeat began to slow, her embrace was more than effective in calming me down. I returned the gesture, bringing her closer to me.

"You've done so much for me, it's time you finally got some good rest." she whispered into my ear, her voice unsteady. 

"Like you're one to talk! You work yourself to the point of exhaustion!" I scoffed at her, a smile creeping onto my face. She broke the hug and I lowered her, she was pouting at me. I found it adorable, the Emperor was never one to show this much emotion. Though, whenever we were together behind closed doors she would be a lot more animated. 

Her expression changed, her eyes shifted to the side, averting her gaze and a worried frown followed. 

"I can only hope I was a good leader…" She mumbled under her breath. What was she thinking?! Of course she was a great leader, the Empire was so prosperous, I would daresay it was near perfect. Everyone loved her, admired her, would do anything for her. Hells, I'd gladly do anything to keep her alive, yet here I was in the dirt awaiting our deaths. I had so much to say to her, tell her how great it was to serve her, how much I actually treasured her.

"You were more than greater, King Vivi! Serving under you was never a chore, it was a pleasure to stay by your side for all those years! I-I… I hope in my next life I get to serve you once more!" I yelled, still exasperated. Oh gods, I basically re-assured her that we were going to die. My expression changed to one of despair mixed with anger. Why!? Why did our Empire have to be targeted by this gods damned Mobius. We were happy, no one there deserved to be swallowed up, and the last person that needed to die was Vivi! 

A soft touch caressed my cheek, I looked back down at Vivi who raised herself to rest her forehead against mine. She began to rub her thumb along my cheek and I bit my bottom lip as it trembled, the tears began to flow again. Gods, it was so unfair…

"Thank you, Haseul. I wouldn't have I any other way. We'll meet again, I know we will." She was trembling, I was the one who was meant to be strong for her yet here she was being stronger than I ever could be. I nodded against her, her scales gently rubbing against my skin. We sat there with one another, both somewhat ready to accept our fate, a contrast to the deafening cacophony of chaos around us. 

I began to focus on nothing but our contact, and time completely stopped.


	2. Brawl and Bawl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An infamous brawler faces an opponent and their bodyguard is forced to clean up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Preface notes can now be found here!: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S0PTkPfPIyEP_xYrGBMI71CQdLStc18jg66Tkazmlzs/edit?usp=sharing

** _The Underground Brawler - Jiwoo_ **

_Jiwoo is a renowned Monk that participates in illegal brawls to make a living. If you saw her outside the ring, you'd think she was just some happy go-lucky Au-Ra. Her soft outward appearance severely contrasted the 'nature' of her occupation, but damn was she good with her fists. Jiwoo's late father was also an underground brawler and taught her most of what she knows, her interest in fighting sparked at a young age. He was slain during the Legatus occupation of her hometown, and took up training under their noses so that she may one day avenge him, a dark secret not even her best friend knew. Ever since escaping her hometown however, she has learnt how to cope with her losses and takes solace in the people who are alive in the now. Jiwoo's underground alias was Chuu, due to her signature pose when winning a bout._

I couldn't help but grin at the turnout for the bout, so many different races were present and cheering my name, well… my underground one! I was still waiting to enter the arena, the fights take place about an hour or so away from the main city of _Ul'Dah_ in a place we call _Halitali_. It used to be a training ground for the _Immortal Flames_, but it was abandoned when it was infested with giant ant-like insectoids. A few months after its construction some unlucky saps found out it was in the path of their burrows. It's still a problem, actually, but there were people here that could deal with them. I began to bounce up and down on the spot, shaking my limbs and cracking my neck. I began my normal stretching routine, this was very important, you don't want to be in the middle of a bout only to be held back by a sudden pain that could've easily been prevented by a warmup. Just in time too, I finished as the announcer began to hype up the crowd.

"WELCOME, ALL, TO THE HALITALI BOUTS!" Boomed the announcer as the crowd erupted in cheer. I couldn't see the podium they were on from behind the gates, but I knew that voice from anywhere, it was _Grand Yew_ or simply: _The Announcer_. That loveable Roegadyn who always loved to ruffle my hair after the fights for the night, I could picture him in his Leopard print tuxedo donning his usual adorable top-knot. Said it made him look cool when I asked him why he kept it like that, gave a hearty chuckle right after. Gosh, he was such a fun person to be around, always beaming just like me!

"We're going to start off with a biggun'! But gods, people, you don't sound damn near as excited to see the one and only!?" The Announcer teased, always one to get the crowd going.

"CHUU!"

"CHUU!"

"CHUU!" The crowd chanted, and cheered in unison. I couldn't help but crack my knuckles and grin, adrenaline beginning to flood my body.

"THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"

"YOUR ONE AND ONLY ATTACKER OF HEARTS, CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" announced_ Grand_, the gates lowering as he sung my name. I took it as my cue to strut outside, a spotlight focused on me causing me to squint and adjust to the sudden flash of light. The crowd was going wild, chanting my name, clapping, cheering, and stamping their feet on the sandstone. The arena was so familiar to me, a simple wide circle filled with sand and a simple empty sandstone moat around it, the wooden gate I had just come through functioning as a bridge to cross to the actual arena. Many bloodstains decorated the sand, something you obviously couldn't avoid in a place like this. To the left, on a podium a few metres above the crowd was that gentle giant _Grand Yew_ beaming at me, I returned the gesture and waved at him, spinning to greet the onlookers as well.

"AND HER OPPONENT FOR TONIGHT, INTRODUCING… er… _BLOOD FIST!_" I could've sworn he almost chuckled at the generically unoriginal name. Despite this, the crowd still went wild as a tanned highlander male walked onto the arena. He was at least twice my height, was buff as all hell, had a scar across his left eye and was shirtless. Not only was his name generic, he also looked like a generic villain! His gaze met mine and I beamed at him, only to have him spit on the floor in return. How rude! The rules to these brawls were simple and known throughout the participants and audience.

_1\. No weapons, your body only_

It was all I needed, and it seemed like my opponent didn't have anything on them either. You'd be patted down before entering anyway.

_2\. No armour, form fitting clothing or skin only_

My signature clothing was a tight fitting peach coloured crop top, being held up by brown leather straps at my shoulders as well as matching peach shorts of course! My hands and feet were wrapped in basic white bandaging, not everything could be matching, you needed some variance in your outfit! My opponent was shirtless and wore simple black slacks, the lack of originality still showing.

_3\. No killing_

The fights were for fun and gil really, and the fights were illegal enough as is but people loved to skew this rule to their content. Technically they weren't dead if they were immobile or in a coma, so even I had to be careful, especially with my reputation as champion.

_4\. No magic_

Whether it be outside help or for yourself, no cheating!

_5\. It was considered a loss when you tapped out, got thrown out of the ring or were knocked out_

Needed to win somehow!

_6\. Once the fight was over, there is to be no contact_

This rule was made after a few fights because of sore losers, you can probably assume what happened there!

_7\. Show some sportsmanship before the fight_

This could be done in various ways, the main form being a light fist-bump or handshake before you moved to your respective side.

As I was recalling the final rule, Mr. Blood Fist began to walk to the centre, and I did the same. He towered over me, staring me down as he exhaled like a wild hog. The light from behind him made his face dark and terrifying, his eyes seemed so hollow, I couldn't help but tremble slightly as I extended my hand. He gripped it tightly, and used so much force when shaking that I swear my bones would shatter and I winced. I played it off as a wink and shot him a sly grin hoping he didn't notice he had been successful in what was probably intimidation. I was used to other fighters trying to intimidate me, but something about this man seemed off, like he was a feral hog just waiting to be released at their prey. Everything came into play in fights like these, not just the actual fight itself, intimidation could set your opponent off focus and that was something you could use to your advantage. I needed my mojo back, so I raised my hands into a circle and pretended to bite the top off, curling my fingers down to make a heart, extending it towards Mr. Blood Fist. The crowd cheered at my chosen form of 'intimidation' and I felt re-invigorated, _Grand Yew_ started calling me the attacker of hearts when a previous opponent said I caught them off guard with a stunt like that before the fight and they fell in love with me hehe!

"Alright, I'm sure every'uns raring to go, so let's get this show on the road!" Speak of the devil, Mr. Announcer himself kept the crowd going.

"Remember the rules, fighters and have a good bout!" Bloodfist and I already began to walk to half the radius of our respective sides, readying our stances. He hunched over, neck craned to face me with his hands in front of him, even his stance was off putting. I hopped on the spot, shaking my limbs and cracking my neck again, going into my own stance. I stood side on towards my opponent, feet sufficiently apart with my fists raised.

I took a deep breath as the crowd went quiet, closing my eyes and focusing only on my breathing for a moment, I could hear my own heart-beat.

"FIGHT!" _Boomed Grand_, my eyes shot open at the sound of his voice. I went to dash toward my opponent only to be caught off guard at how quickly this man moved. He had already closed the gap within a second, eyes wide and full of bloodlust. I adjusted my position, shifting my stance just in time to catch his fist with my forearm. I winced in pain as the momentum behind his dash seemed to add to the punch, shattering some of my scales. I stumbled backwards, was this really how it was going to end? A ring out? I felt a sharp pain shoot up my spine as my opponent's foot made contact with my back, I was now flying toward the middle of the arena.

** _The Gunblade Bodyguard - Jung Eun Kim_ **

_Jung Eun is a Gunblade wielding Hyur that grew up with Jiwoo in a far off country from the main cities. She was a very reliable person if you were considered close, but was prone to getting antsy when things weren't going according to her plans. Jung Eun was a person very dedicated to the protection of her loved ones, sacrificing 3 years of her life and reputation to train as a Gunbreaker following the Legatus occupation of her hometown. Once she believed she was trained sufficiently, she fled with Jiwoo, her childhood friend to Ul'dah to start a new life. Jung Eun mainly worked as Jiwoo's personal bodyguard, but was more than capable to take on mercenary work once in a while. Her 'bodyguard' name is 'Kim Lip' simply because she let Jiwoo make her calling card, the 'Lip' part comes from the pair of lips printed on it._

What in the seven hells?! This newcomer sent Jiwoo flying face first into the sand within mere seconds of the bout commencing? Everyone in the audience including me audibly gasped when she was kicked across the arena, I hadn't even noticed I was standing up alongside a good chunk of them. I bit my lip in worry, brow furrowed as she didn't get up like she usually would and instead laid limp in the sand, blinking. Bloodfist stood in the same position he had kicked her from, staring at her, flinging his fist to the side as droplets of Jiwoo's blood hit the sand. No matter how many fights I watched, I still wasn't used to seeing Jiwoo getting hurt, this was no exception.

"Get up, Jiwoo!" I screamed, slamming my fists onto the railings of the spectator stands. I didn't even care that people were staring at me, Jiwoo was going to win this damned fight. At the sound of my voice, she stirred, stumbling to her feet and shooting me a weak wink. I sighed in relief, my shaking legs hidden behind the stand walls as I gave her a thumbs up. She shifted her focus back onto her opponent, a violent smirk plastered across her face as she wiped the blood from the side of her mouth. She regained her stance, extending a hand out toward Bloodfist and motioning for him to come at her, how cocky for someone who just got their ass kicked across the arena.

He dashed at that inhuman speed once again, fist held behind him but Jiwoo was ready this time. In a motion so fluid, she sidestepped, bringing her elbow into his ribs. He stumbled to the side, clutching the point of impact, but my friend only continued her assault. Jiwoo closed the short distance between them, landing a direct strike at his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He recovered quickly, shifting his weight to kick her in the head with his shin only to have Jiwoo block it with her injured arm.

_CRACK!_ I cringed as Jiwoo simultaneously brought her knee up and Bloodfist's arm down, essentially snapping his arm in two. He sputtered, finally showing an emotion other than bloodlust. Jiwoo backed off, placing sufficient reactionary distance between them as what I could only hope was to analyse his next move. Bloodfist's arm was clearly broken, hanging limp at his side, he looked at it for a while, his gaze suddenly snapping to Jiwoo. The way he moved was so unnatural, it was like he was possessed by some poltergeist. He began an onslaught of kicks, the Au-ra barely dodging or parrying the blows. Each strike from the highlander was both fast and powerful, but Jiwoo kept her pace and finally moved onto the offensive.

Or so I thought. She found an opening, only to be shut-down by Bloodfist bringing his entire head down onto her own, sending her to the floor. I could only watch in terror as he raised a leg, aiming his heel dead centre of Jiwoo's exposed back. The Au-ra rolled away in time, using the momentum to set him off balance by swiping at his leg and sending him straight to the floor. She rose her leg, intending to make him the victim of the same move she was to be struck by, and Jiwoo was quicker, deadlier. The Au-ra smiled a maddening grin as she brought her heel unto the Hyur's back.

"GHHH" gagged Bloodfist, a trail of saliva leaving his mouth at the impact, Jiwoo had held back as to not paralyse him.

"Please give up Mr Bloodfist! I don't want to hurt you anymore!" You'd think she was taunting, but she was genuinely concerned for her opponents wellbeing. A trail of saliva still trailed from his mouth and he was clearly dazed, I looked up at Grand Yew who promptly announced Chuu as the winner. I winced in pain as I covered my ears for the crowd erupting around me, keeping an eye on Jiwoo who was about to do that stupid move of hers. As if on cue, she winked at me and blew me a kiss, I rolled my eyes in reply only to see Bloodfist reaching into their slacks.

In an instant, I vaulted from the stands unsheathing my Gunblade from my back. Time seemed to slow as the Hyur rose to their feet with a dagger in their good hand.

Fuck. No time to be close enough to strike him directly.

But at this distance…

I spun while hurtling through the air, closing one eye to aim down the blade, pulling the trigger when I aligned it with the dagger. The blast scorched his arm, enough to make him falter as I brought the blade down through flesh, bone then flesh. Bloodfist's arm fell to the sand, and he writhed alongside it in pain, gurgling. I reared my leg, kicking him across the sand as far away from Jiwoo as I could as she watched in stunned silence.

"T-Thank you… Jung Eun…" she stuttered, wrapping me in a hug. I returned the gesture, patting her head and offering her congratulations, my rage slowly subsiding the longer I embraced my friend. Stuff like this barely happened, but I still came to all of her fights just in case, I'd never be able to forgive myself if she got seriously hurt when I could've protected her. However, my rage came flooding back when I realised something.

"Oi, Mr. Announcer isn't there supposed to be a damn patdown before the match?! How was that let through?!" I lashed out, gripping my gunblade as I began to tremble with rage once more.

"I… er… um…" He began to sweat, scratching at his head.

"I-It's okay, Jung Eun…" Jiwoo mumbled.

"No! No it's not okay! You could've fuckin' died Jiw-- Chuu, or been put out of commission for good!" I frowned at her, my eyes began to gloss over. I hadn't noticed how quickly my heart was beating and how fearful I was of this situation, all I did was just let my body take over and act.

"No, I'm fine, really! You were here, like you always are!" She beamed at me, while messing with my hair.

"B-But what about when… I'm not… as fast as I was just t-" she cut off my anxious stuttering with another embrace, but I didn't have enough of a mental capacity to hug her back. I just stood there in her arms, crying for a few minutes. The crowd had been shaken out of their stunned silence by the time I cut off the bastard's working arm and were now chatting amongst themselves, but I tuned them out, only focusing on my friend who I may've lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed Chuu beating the shit out of someone and Lip slicing said person's arm off hhhh. Please consider following me on twitter for updates! There's more than just this work going on like a site containing updating profiles as the story progresses!
> 
> twt: @MitsukiYatane


	3. So young, So naive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's nice when someone famous admires another famous person, right?

** _Dancer of the Evening - Sooyoung_ **

_Sooyoung is a famous Viera Dancer in Ul'Dah, dancing for the wealthiest people under the name of 'Eve'. There was no real backstory to her stage name other than she only performed at night, the rarity making sure there was a queue at all times. Sooyoung began as a street-rat in Ul'Dah, a mere beggar and pickpocket before being picked up by her current manager for mere 'potential' purposes. Sooyoung relished in the sudden riches for a few years, before it became stale and unenjoyable. The Viera disliked being bored, setting out to do whatever she thought would make her happy and often think only of herself. Despite this, she wasn't cold hearted and still gave her all to those struggling to live life. She would often go to the slums of Ul'Dah and treat the children to meals or play with them, the Viera knew her place in the world._

I hadn't noticed for the majority of the bout that I had been biting my thumb, worried for Chuu. Even after everything had subsided following the Gunbreaker's intervention, my heartbeat was uncontrollable. I didn't even know Chuu personally other than she was amazing to watch, yet I cared so much for her wellbeing. I guess the feeling wasn't really exclusive to me, I'm clearly not her only fan amongst this vast crowd. Chuu wasn't to fight anyone else tonight, so I left when she was escorted safely by the Gunbreaker to her initial chamber.

"Shit." I whispered to myself, as I stepped outside into the freezing desert evening. I thought I'd be back in the city before sundown so I didn't think to bring an overcoat, and I was going to be late for my performance for the evening. I dashed toward Ul'Dah, hoping the sudden exercise would keep me warm. I wore a simple ruffled burgundy dress, simple golden wristbands and soot black knee high boots, nothing awfully suited to battling this more than chilly clime. I ran for a while, thinking about how all the dancing kept me athletic and I probably wouldn't have been too late if it weren't for the pack of feral dogs now barring my way.

The Chakram tucked at my sides were usually for flourish during my performances, but they could also be used as weapons in my case. One could never be too careful in this world, and dancing by itself got boring so I looked for a way to add my own flair to the art. I didn't have much time to think, before one lunged at me baring its teeth. I leapt backwards, slashing at its throat in the process. It fell limp beside me and I didn't give the other two a chance to react, throwing both chakram their way. They arced, slicing at their sides garnering respective yelps and warranted anger, as they dashed towards me while I was unarmed. I still had my arms extended, I brought them to my sides and in an instant the chakram returned to my hands, cutting through them on the way back. One fell, but the other managed to pin me to the ground, gnashing at my face as I held it back with my now free hands. Droplets of its saliva trailed down onto my face and I shivered at the dire situation I was in. I was agile, but nowhere near strong enough to continually keep it at bay.

I should've stayed in the city.

"I'm going to die here." I resigned, shutting my eyes and pulling my head back as far as I could, my cheek caked in dirt.

Suddenly, the weight bearing itself down on me was gone, and I dared to open a single eye. The fresh corpse of the dog now beside me. I shot up in fear, only to collide with a hard object on the way up.

"O-Ow! Hey! Woah! A-Are you okay?!" I was still wincing from the sudden pain with both eyes closed, I struggled to make out the origin of the voice.

"Ah, um, oof." They sounded adorable and chipper, I still had an eye closed from the pain and I squinted through the other and I was able to make out an Au-Ra, their horns were a dead giveaway.

"A-Ah do you have a concuss--" worried the scalekin.

"N-No I'm fine." I stuttered. I shook my head and slowly propped myself up, vision still blurry. The Au-Ra crouched in front of me, and I began to realise just who I was talking to, and who I had been saved by. The familiar humanoid extended their hand towards me, to help me up and all I could do was shake out of pure excitement as I grasped their hand. I felt the strength in her arms as she effortlessly got me to my feet.

"I-I'm Ji--" I cut them off.

"CHUU?!" I yelled giddily, a bright toothy smile plastered on my face.

"O-oh, Yeah! That's me!" She winked, still clasping my hand. I now towered over her, but I was shivering in excitement at the contact with someone I only idolised from afar. I was looking down at her, and I always thought she was cute but gods be damned, she was so adorable up close.

Oh. My. God.

"Oh! This is Jung Eun!" She motioned to a figure with their back rested on a nearby rock, they nodded, a slight smile on their face. It was the Gunbreaker from earlier that saved Chuu! By now, I was sure the Monk realised my giddiness, the smile still hadn't left my face.

"I presume you're a fan?" She was still clasping my hand ever so gently, and I felt a blush rise to my cheeks.

"I-I uhm! Y-Yes! I've watched so many of your fights!" I stammered, gods Sooyoung that was embarrassing. Chuu giggled at my stuttering and my heart fluttered ever so slightly. I noticed the continued hand contact and withdrew my hand, scratching my head and looking away shyly.

"Thanks for saving me by the way, I thought I was going to die there." I bowed, lowering my head slightly.

"It's nothing, we were passing by and well, Ji-- Chuu saw someone in danger, it's just in her nature." The Gunbreaker piped up, as she walked towards us. The Hyur woman donned a simple black-tee with a large deep red overcoat, armoured black gloves and steel plated boots that clacked as she moved.

"What was your name, Viera?" She extended her hand toward me. Oh gods, I hadn't even introduced myself yet…

"Sooyoung." I shook her hand, her grip was firm and intimidating but I couldn't help but think she was quite the badass, she probably moved to cut off that guy's hand earlier as quickly as his opener in the fight.

"What a pretty name! Were you headed anywhere in particular Sooyoung?" She tilted her head and held her hands behind her back, was she naturally this adorable?

"Yeah, I was just going back to the city, yourselves?" I wasn't much for idle chit-chat, but I did like hearing her talk. She skipped ahead, and looked back at Jung Eun who shrugged and trailed after her. I felt a firm yet comforting grip on my shoulder briefly as Jung Eun walked by.

"We'll escort you to the city Sooyoung, it's not particularly safe out here." I nodded despite her already being ahead of me.

"What is it that you do anyway Viera?" she peeked over her shoulder.

"I'm a Dancer, actually. My stage name's Eve, heard of me?" I sauntered up next to her, matching her gaze.

"Oh! Eve! Yes! Oh gee, I want to go see you one day but you're so pricey..." Chuu's words seemed to die out at that realisation.

"Why would I not make a special exception for someone I watch so heavily?" I winked at her, Jung Eun rolled her eyes in my peripheral.

"REALLY?!" She gasped, running over to my side, latching onto my arm and staring up at me in pure awe. I couldn't help but pat her head and nod, a smile creeping across my face once more.

"Oh, by the way, call me Jiwoo! It's weird hearing that outside the ring you know!" She giggled, still latched onto my arm.

"Sure. Call me Sooyoung then Chu-- Jiwoo..." I averted my gaze, oddly embarrassed to be on a first name basis with someone I only admired from afar. She nodded before unclasping herself from me and skipping ahead. We had some idle chit-chat on the way back, and ran into no troubles, and although I should've been glad, I wanted to see the two in combat I was robbed of seeing Chuu's punch because I had my eyes closed when I almost died.

"How about tonight, Chuu? Jung Eun you're more than invited too." I said as we approached the gates, not wanting to part ways just yet. Chuu looked at the Gunbreaker endearingly, it was like a child silently begging for their parent's permission.

"Didn't have plans anyway, don't see why not." The Hyur shrugged, as the scalekin squealed in glee, jumping on the spot.

"Jiwoo! The dirt, gods." I chuckled at the sudden reprimand from Jung Eun as Jiwoo stopped, shooing the dirt away with her hands only to look at me and flash me a smile so wide that made her eyes close, her happiness was infectious. Perhaps I'd found something new to keep me entertained...

Jung Eun and Jiwoo personally escorted me to the place I was supposed to meet my manager despite being within the city walls. We were to turn a corner to the alleyway behind the venue before Jung Eun stopped me, arm outstretched before she peeked her head to the alleyway.

"I've come here a few times miss bodyguard, I'll be fi--" She shook her head at me seriously before talking in a hushed tone.

"I smell blood." I furrowed my brow, we were out in the open still how would she be able to smell that, I didn't smell a thing? Confused, I brushed past her and peeked into the alleyway myself. There were buildings overhead, so there wasn't much natural light and the venue backdoor was ajar. I shrugged at Jung Eun, and asked Jiwoo if she shared the same sense of smell.

"I don't, personally, but I always trust her." she replied. I nodded and the Gunbreaker took point, you could tell she had experience with situations like these and I appreciated how seriously she took my safety despite only just meeting me. We silently approached the door, the Gunbreaker commenting on how it was definitely coming from my destination. My heartbeat began to quicken as my mind began to race at what we could possibly find here.

_*SLAM!*_

The door was kicked open courtesy of Miss Bodyguard as we dashed into the room. Once inside, I too finally smelt the stench of blood and scanned the inside as the other two checked possible hiding spots. The room was only a small dressing room to prepare for performances at a local stage, and the only source of light in the room was the natural flood of light from outside. Signs of a struggle were present, and as I tried to get a grasp on things I heard Jiwoo gasp. I turned toward her, catching her stumbling backwards from behind a counter and promptly bumping into a table. She looked at me in terror, pointing behind the counter. Jung Eun marched toward whatever she was pointing at, and sheathed her gunblade.

My legs began to give out at the fear of not knowing what could possibly get them riled up so much. I stumbled toward them, gagging as I saw the body of my manager, stab wounds littered across his chest.

"Do you know him?" Asked the Gunbreaker sternly. I did, yes. He was my manager. We didn't have the best relationship as he wanted to keep me locked down as a Dancer even when I was bored, saying I was his main source of income. It wasn't like he was an inherently bad person, he never treated me poorly and if anything I continued just so he wouldn't bother me so much. But, to see him dead on the floor in front of me, desecrated left me sick to my stomach at someone who I knew was alive a few hours ago was now dead.

"I.. Yeah... My manager." They looked at me, worried before I waved my hand toward them in front of my face.

"I-I'm fine... Just... Why?" They looked at one another as I began to hang my head down. We sat in the dark for a while, the only sound in the room our breathing and the tapping of Jung Eun's foot. I was going to yell at her, tell her it was annoying until she marched off and lit a lantern in the room. I wasn't too affected by their death, seeing as we were nothing else than business partners, but he did save me. He did give me another shot at life, and who knows if I'd even be alive without them.

"Jungie... What are you doing?" Jiwoo asked as Jung Eun approached the body.

"I dunno, maybe we'll find something that'll tell us why this happened?" She looked to me as I sat idly in a chair, my head clouded in thoughts. I hadn't even considered that there was someone who did this, I was too in shock at seeing the body. I shrugged at her, as it seemed like she was asking for consent from someone who knew him to search the corpse.

She rummaged through as Jiwoo looked conflicted at the act. She flitted towards me, and crouched in front of me, clasping my shaking hands.

"Hey, hey... Are you okay?" She asked, her eyes glossing over.

"Why... Are you gonna cry?!" My mood instantly shifted, one of uncertainty and fear, to one of wanting to comfort her.

"I'm not good at this sort of stuff! I know I like, _hurt_ people for a living but when they're dead it's different, and you're sad! I think..." I forced a smile at her, I wasn't sad, but damn was this a bit too much to take in. Did I have to be sad? Those feelings kept lingering as I failed to form an emotional connection to my now dead manager. Like I thought earlier, he did change my life definitely for the better, but I didn't exactly owe this man anything and he didn't expect it either except in my performances. Again, he wouldn't treat me awfully at all and we only clashed when I said I didn't want to do this anymore, but he wasn't inherently bad to my knowledge, so why would anyone do this? Was it bad to be considering the why instead of mour--

"Woah, hey hey." Jiwoo wiped away tears flowing down my cheeks, I'd been so out of it I didn't even notice how hard I was crying.

"I don't really know what to say, honestly and we just met you but we're here for you." She said, choking back tears before hugging me, one of her horns grazing my face. She ran circles along my back with her palm only to stop a few seconds later. My shirt became taut as she gripped it tightly as she began to sob. I scoffed under my breath, smiling at how sweet she was to be so concerned and I returned the embrace. Why was she crying when I should be?

"Was he involved with... The Syndicate or anything?" Jung Eun asked, back turned.

"Dunno, didn't know much about him outside our business." I shrugged, Jiwoo stopping one shoulder from ascending.

"He very well might be, and if so you're not safe either, they want their moneys worth one way or another Sooyoung." She stopped searching, holding a small card toward me.

"That's just his business card?" I furrowed my brow at her.

"Yeah, but look." She tapped the top left corner of it, a circle with lines across it in no particular pattern.

"That's the symbol of the Syndicate, well, for their underlings anyways. The people they own. Lets businesses know they've got gil on 'em." She stared at the card intently as if she was going to burn holes in it. I gently took it from her, analysing the symbol and if I'd ever seen it before. It made sense, actually, I'd seen some random people visit him from time to time but I never asked.

"If you get tied up with the Syndicate, I'm sorry but I can't help you in that regard." She looked to me, biting her lip.

"But she could possibly be in a lot of danger now Jung Eun!" The Au-ra wrenched herself away, yelling at her friend.

"Don't you care?! I know you don't pick up Syndicate protection contracts, but she had no idea! She has nothing to do with them!" She didn't have to say any of this, I could hold my own and who knows if they'd even come for me.

"You're always like this, Jiwoo... You know how bad the Syndicate is..." She sighed, sliding down the wall with her back against it.

"Damn right I am! I hate them, they make this place awful." An expression of determination and anger on her face. Ah, so that's why she cared so much, she had her own agenda. It put me at ease knowing she wasn't stupid enough to be this trustworthy of people she only just met. I looked to Jung Eun, unfazed by all of this.

"Look, you don't have t--" Jiwoo covered my mouth with her palm and I flinched from the sudden contact.

"She won't shutup if we don't, Sooyoung, she'll get annoying quickly." The Gunbreaker massaged her temples in annoyance, yet not an ounce of hate was in that line.

"Hey!" Jiwoo pouted before turning to me and nodding.

"We'll keep you safe, I promise." I was hesitant to agree, a part of me was terrified of this unknown threat, but I also had so much fun with these two and it's not like I really had my career to lean back on now. I looked to Jung Eun, who was visibly stressed.

"Apologies, Jiwoo but I'd only come with if Jung Eun lets me. I'm very glad you're open to this sudden inclusion, but I don't want to impose on her." It was only the right thing to do. She looked toward her friend, those same begging eyes from earlier today.

"I was afraid to just take a stranger on board, but you have courtesy it seems. Thanks for checking with me Sooyoung, appreciate it." She got to her feet and nodded to me, Jiwoo clasped my hands a little tighter, the minor tension fading away.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"We leave Ul'dah." The two said in unison as if it were obvious.

I thought to myself as we exited the room.

What if I hadn't gone to her bout today?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please consider following my Twitter for updates!
> 
> twt: @MitsukiYatane


	4. Practicing White, Minstrel's Plight, Fight or Flight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three girls meet by chance, their problems bringing them together...

** _The White Mage in Training - Chaewon_ **

_Hyewon is a meek Lalafell training to become a capable White Mage. She is training within the Conjurer's guild at Gridania, and has a very long way to go. Currently, she can only cure minor wounds or keep someone stable, nothing close to miracles. Despite this, she works hard for the sake of her sickly parents who do nothing but support their child. Chaewon is shy and mainly likes to keep to herself and gets overwhelmed within social situations, she only considers her family her true friends._

"Breathe Chaewon, Breathe." I told myself, my tiny voice shook alongside my entire body. Today was the preliminary graduation test, my shot at gaining the promotion to White Mage from a simple Conjurer. I've been with the guild since I was 16, I'm 19 now and the test happens every year. The first failure was heartbreaking, but my parents didn't mind, they didn't want to rush me, gods they're so supportive... I just want to become dependable, I just want to help my parents, I wanted nothing else than to see them healthy again.

I closed my eyes and shook my head, as if that would somehow make the thoughts go away. I was still quaking in my boots as I stared up at the giant hollowed out tree. A gentle breeze passed by, and I flinched, hugging my oak staff close to me. I was so on edge a breeze scared me, I needed to compose myself or I'd be a mess during the exam. I was this terrified the first two times too, today was no different. I closed my eyes and shook my head once more, it was a habit I had ever since I was young, I'm not sure why I did it, it helped sometimes though. I clutched my cane once more, my knuckles going white at the amount of grip and walked toward the guild entrance. Gridania was always filled with a manner of Elezen and Hyur, some kind of history thing I didn't care much about, but I did feel out of place often. My parents eased me into the life by saying I was just a very tiny Elezen hehe! The thought of that brought a slight smile to my face, and my grip loosened. It wasn't that far into the tree before I began to hear the familiar trickling of water, before the conjurer's guild entrance. In front of the double door stood two Elezen men dressed in light green robes similar to mine who bowed as I rounded the bend. I returned the gesture, my eyes failing to meet either of theirs.

"Here for the test, Chaewon?" One spoke up with a gentle smile.

"U-Um, y-yeah." I stuttered, still averting my gaze. Why was talking to people outside the family so difficult?

They parted the deep brown double oak doors, splitting the engraved conjurer's crest of an oak branch and revealing the inside of the guild. I nodded to no one in particular and slowly stepped inside, when it was clear the door closed shut behind me. The guild itself wasn't particularly large, as it was in the heart of a hollowed out tree but it was beautiful. The heart of the guild lay in front of me, a giant wood treated circle a metre or so above a stream of water. The room was illuminated by various luminescent plants, the conjurer's believed heavily in communing with nature and the aether so there weren't any torches in here. The guildmaster, a Padjal named E-Sumi-Yan cultivated them himself before establishing the guild. I spotted him a ways away, his signature horns protruding from his pure white hair as he smiled at another member. Padjal were a special breed of humanoid, able to commune with the elementals, a notable feature being their outward appearance ceasing to age at a certain point in their life. E-Sumi looked like a boy on the cusp of adolescence, yet he was probably hundreds of years old. I began to calm down, began to get accustomed to my familiar surroundings only to notice I had been at the door for longer than anticipated.

"Think she'll pass this time?" It was muffled, but I heard one of the Elezen from earlier speaking to the other.

"It's been 3 years, if she doesn't pass this time, I'm not sure why she'd stay." The other replied, my heart sinking as the words hit my ears. I gripped my robe, scrunching above the area of my quickening heartbeat.

"She's got sick parents and no gil." I looked down at the floor, all I could hear now was this conversation.

"She also doesn't have the knack for it, maybe she should've spent the 2 years grabbing the gil." My eyes began to gloss over, and my vision blurred as tears fell to the floor. Maybe they were right, maybe I should've just worked or something to buy them some medicine. Not wanting to hear anymore, I trudged away and sat down against a nearby tree wall. I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my face into them, staining my robe with the tears that continued to flow.

I wasn't ready for this at all.

Nothing even changed from year one to year two. All I can do is heal wounds a bit deeper than before, I can't even successfully apply a basic Esuna.

I struggled to aim the rocks I'd conjure.

This was useless, why did I even bother.

I was ready to get up and run before a hand rested itself on my shoulder.

"Chaewon, are you alright my child?" The voice of worry was unmistakably E-Sumi's. I gripped my knees tighter and buried my face as far as it could go.

"Are you nervous?" I could feel as he sat down in front of me and I let out a slight sniffle. The guildmaster was the closest person I had as a friend, but he would act like this way to anyone, he was a very kind man. I think I may have gone down the gil route if it weren't for his continuous support, it reminded me of my parents and reminded me of why I was here. I dared to look up at him and nod. He wiped my lingering tears away with the sleeve of his deep purple garb ever so gently before patting my head.

"It's okay child, even if you do not pass this time, there are many more years ahead of you!" He smiled, and I genuinely agreed with him for a second, only to remember my parents.

"M-My p-parents do not have that time Guildmaster." I frowned, lowering my head once more as my eyes began to sting. A silence between us lingered in the air for a few seconds and I glanced at him, he looked deep in thought, only to slowly don a pensive expression.

"I would personally tend to them if possible, but you know--" I cut him off.

"How the elementals are..." I finished, a tinge of spite making its way into the words. The elementals were the 'guardians' of the Twelveswood, and only Padjal like E-Sumi could speak to them. They dictated what was wrong or right, who had the right to stay or leave, had specific requests and if their orders weren't followed they would wreak havoc amongst the Twelveswood without mercy. One such order was that the Padjal were not to intervene personally with other mortals, and like the guards stated earlier my family wasn't in the position to pay for healers. I loved it here, it was so peaceful and serene, but it masked a cruel dictatorship.

He nodded, that expression still lingering before offering me a hand up. I took it, getting to my feet filled with motivation. It wasn't hope, I was fuelled by spite, something that lay dormant within me as I silently cursed the elementals. It wasn't just because of my parents, they've done all that they wanted for eternity, not caring about any other lives but their own. I paced around the room after E-Sumi left me with a polite nod and to tend to other members, psyching myself up for the coming practical tests. They took place a short distance away from the guild, a clearing only accessible from within the tree. At the middle of the clearing was a small stump that you stood on while the guildmaster and an instructor would watch you from a distance while they asked you to perform various tasks.

As I was escorted to the grounds, my anxieties began to catch up to me once again and I clutched my cane closer to my now tense body. I felt a hand placed onto my head, and I flinched from the contact before looking up at the guildmaster who smiled at me as if telling me not to worry. My shoulders relaxed as I smiled back at him, the rest of my body following. He was such a nice man, I don't think he had an ounce of hate in him but I was conflicted at how easily he carried out the elemental's orders. However, those were thoughts for another day as we finally stepped into the beautiful clearing, a flock of birds darting away noticing our presence. I nodded to both of my escorts, as they took post near the entrance and marched toward the middle in determination. I hoisted myself onto the stump thinking about how they needed a lalafell friendly point of access and dusted myself off. I held my cane in my hand, my free hand a short distance in front.

"Miss Chaewon, are you ready to commence the trial?" the Elezen instructor yelled. I nodded with determination filling my chest.

"Well then, please begin with the stone trial." To my left, three training dummies propped themselves up from the ground, the sound making me flinch slightly. It was simple, all I had to do was conjure some rocks and hurl them towards the targets. I closed my eyes, focusing on my aether and the nature around me. In essence, you 'extracted' the aether of nature to conjure spectral like images of the chosen element. Conjurer's and White Mages harnessed the power of Earth, Water and Wind. I conjured three decently sized rocks, twirling them around one another a distance from the cane before pulling them toward me and extending my cane toward the targets.

Each dummy fell at roughly the same time, and I silently cheered in my head, a smile creeping along my face.

"Good, we will now proceed to the water trial." Opposite the entrance lay an area with a small pond with another area of gravel behind it. The instructor strode toward the gravel patch, planting themselves firmly before the pond.

"The trial is to either bind me on the spot, or push me back a couple of metres." He said unfazed by what I was possibly about to do. The water element was mainly used as a form of protection, rarely harming the target and instead was used for our safety. Advanced White Mages could even use it as a form of protection, forming bubble shields though I'd never seen it with my own eyes. Before I got distracted, I stared at the water for a while, I closed my eyes and began to focus, only hearing the birds chirping and the light rustling of the leaves. I found this trial difficult because although the spell didn't usually hurt things, there was a living being before me and I didn't like the idea of using magic against something alive. Without realising, I had conjured a sphere of water as large as my figure. I looked to the instructor who nodded, before pulling my cane back and thrusting it in their direction. They raised their hands, crossing their forearms as it impacted them and sent them back a few metres. The Elezen was still standing, but they were now drenched. Despite this, I saw a smile on their face as they lowered their arms nodding to me confirming my success.

I smiled back at them before they spoke up once more.

"Your final test in the clearing is the Aero Trial." They shivered as a light breeze passed by, I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. The Elezen motioned toward a tree to the left with varying depths of gashes at it's base. The test was simple, to conjure winds in an area strong enough to leave marks on the tree. Stone and Aero were the White Magic offensive spells, and although I could probably never use them maliciously, one would need to defend themselves out there somehow. Aero was always one of my favourite spells, it was a tad silly but I'd always associated the wind and flying. I'd love to grow some wings one day and be able to fly.

"Miss Chaewon?" My eyes widened, I had spaced out for gods know how long. I was too into my own thoughts sometimes.

"U-Um, yes sorry, I was just... Thinking." I stuttered, while shaking my head from side to side.

"I'm fine." I said meekly, not sure if they even heard me. I closed my eyes again, feeling the breeze and rustling of leaves once again, I opened them when the wind picked up, extending my free hand toward the tree. A transparent green orb was conjured where I had extended my hand at the tree, I clenched my hand and it exploded into tiny cuts amongst the base. Satisfied with my performance, I looked toward the instructor who had their wide eyes trained at the tree before slowly panning to me.

"Miss Chaewon, are you sure that wasn't an Aerora?!" I blushed at the sudden compliment, placing a hand in front of my face. I'd done it, I'd passed the tests! I was about to jump for joy before the Guildmaster finally spoke up.

"We'll move onto the most important bit now! The healing!" All of my achievements meant nothing now, and my anxieties were catching up to me once again.

** _The Wandering Minstrel - Yerim_ **

_Yerim is a Bard that never stays in one place for too long. She loves meeting new people and enjoys performing for strangers. Often, Yerim would only really make money to stay the night at local inns or airship fares. She lived simply and only wanted to see people happy. Her smile and optimism only masked her traumatic past, she once wandered with a group who were abducted by a cult when she was only 15. Yerim was lucky enough to escape, but hasn't seen any of the other members for three years. One would say she wanders and performs in the hopes of meeting them again._

Gridania was a beautiful place, it was pure, natural beauty! As soon as I got here, I made my way to the Twelveswood and let my mind and body wander. I just didn't want to think for a while, about anything. I wandered from the morn' till noon, stopping only at a giant hollowed tree trunk. I stared at it in awe, the sheer size of it taking my breath away. How old was this thing? Why was it here? Were trees really that big back before we were here?! So many questions buzzed through my mind as I raced around it, placing my hands on it once in a while as if it'd answer my questions. I found it such a shame that we'd live our lives and never know the answers to a lot of our questions, but that was life, I told myself.

I had finally found the other end of the hollow tree, a long burnt out campfire near the entrance of it. It was someone else's little haven, I hope they didn't mind me using it for a bit as I sat on a nearby stump. For a while, I sat and listened to the woods, immersed myself in the nature of it all. In a fit of impulse, I lay amongst the grass, looking up at the sky of trees overhead. It was lovely up until I closed my eyes for more than a few seconds.

My mind slipped back to the abduction as it always did, my troupe and I being separated, me dashing through this same forest running for my life as I heard my friends yelling out to one another. I wanted to call for them too, wanted to run toward them and save them, but the cult was good at what they did. If I had done any of that, they would've caught me too and I wasn't even armed. I was 15 for gods sakes, I was fearing for my life I _had_ to run, I argued with myself. Yet, despite wanting to forget this memory, this absolute trauma, I kept my eyes shut. I felt so out of breath, so terrified of what they'd do if they caught me, or what they were going to do to my friends. My chest got tight and my heartbeat quickened, and I felt myself becoming short of breath.

I gasped for air once.

Twice.

Three times.

I was struggling to breathe and all I could see was darkness. I hugged myself, going into a foetal position in the grass as I winced in pain. I couldn't... Breathe...

This feeling was so terrifying, I didn't know what was happening to me, I'd never had the chance to talk to anyone about this, a mere thought of the event sent me into a spiral of guilt, depression and anxiety. A few minutes passed, although it seemed like hours and the feeling subsided. I coughed and sputtered, finally successfully gasping for air. I sat up, burying my face in my hands.

"I need to distract myself, like always." I muttered to myself. As if the gods willed it, I heard footsteps in the distance. I shook my head, and knocked my bow aiming toward the sound. It wasn't much cover, but I used the stump I was sitting on earlier to hide. I thought it'd be a wild animal, but what entered my field of vision was a blonde Lalafell, their hair done in tiny ponytails. I kept the bow knocked as they ran past, they hadn't seen me behind the make-shift cover and decided to stop at the hollowed tree. They sat down next to it and hugged their knees to their chest, facing away from me. I silently approached the Lalafell, bow aimed at their head before speaking up.

"H-Hey, state your business." Great, Yerim, you stuttered. That had to be the least threatening way to get the jump on someone.

"Uwah!" They jumped, stumbling and placing their hands high in the air when they saw me. It was... Good enough I suppose. I scanned them quickly, and they were unarmed save a small cane. They looked harmless enough, but I kept my bow trained on them.

"P-Please don't shoot! P-Please!" They cried, tears already forming in their eyes. I felt so guilty, but I had to be so careful ever since then.

"Your business! Your name! Anything!" I yelled, but faltered when the tears ran down their cheeks.

"My n-name is C-Chaewon!" They closed their eyes and yelled as loudly as they could, a clear terror in their voice.

"I-I'm a White M-- C-Conjurer from Gridania!" They were still crying, and at this point I only felt guilt. I lowered my bow, and tucked it behind me. The Lalafell opened one eye slightly, presumably to check if I was still aiming at them.

"I-It's fine... I'm sorry for that Chaewon." My shoulders fell and I collapsed onto my knees. The tiny humanoid gasped, extending a hand toward me before retracting it just as quickly.

"I've... I've had a long day." I sighed, averting my gaze from the source of guilt.

"T-Thats okay, so have I..." they sniffled.

"My name's Yerim by the way." I was still staring down at the grass.

"U-Um, can I approach?" I looked up at them again, nodded and gave a faint smile as they wiped away their tears. I always found Lalafell cute, and although this one wasn't particularly happy, they looked adorable wiping at their tiny face. I couldn't help but giggle at the sight, and they flinched before pouting at me.

"W-What's so funny?!" they furrowed their brow, but continued to pout. It really was adorable. I held my hand in front of me, bowing my head slightly as I apologised.

"I just find your kind adorable, and I know you're crying and everything, but you're just so cute!" They looked away, balling their hands by their sides and pouted even harder. I couldn't help myself, I closed the gap between us and pinched Chaewon's cheeks and chuckled to myself.

"H-hey! What in d-de wo--wld!" Their words weren't coming out right as I squeezed and giggled to myself. They shoved me weakly and I took it as the sign to stop, holding my palm before my mouth to stifle any further laughter.

"Gods, you're so weird!? You were literally about to kill me a few seconds ago!" Chaewon backed off with an expression of genuine confusion. I lowered my head in guilt again and adopted the same position they were in moments ago. I hugged my knees and tucked my face into them.

"You say we're cute when we're sad, yet your ears literally droop down when you're sad." I heard a taste of my own medicine as Chaewon chuckled to herself. I caught myself pouting and now knew exactly how they felt...

"I'm gonna touch them, okay?" questioned the Lalafell. I kept my head down, too embarrassed to show them I was pouting. I nodded ever so slightly, before feeling the contact of their tiny hands on my ears.

"Oh my gosh, they're so... Soft!" I couldn't see their face, but you could tell it lit up with that last word. I couldn't help but smile a bit and move my head into their hand as the Lalafell scratched my ears, I think it was a universal Miqo'te thing.

"STOP THIS IS TOO CUTE." Chaewon was ecstatic, and at this point, I was happier too. I playfully purred at her and she gasped, asking me if I really just did that. I looked up at her slyly and we giggled together for a few seconds. We surmised after that exchange, neither of us were a threat to one another and we sat in silence for a while near the long burnt out campfire. Not wanting to think about myself any longer, I piped up.

"So, why was your day long er... Sir... Er... Miss... Chaewon?" You could never be sure with Lalafell! I wanted to make sure I knew, even if it might've been obvious.

"Hehe, Miss! I um... I had my graduation test today." Her face fell as quickly as it lit up. She recounted her preliminary tests with using earth, water and wind magic and I felt so proud of her, and you could feel a sense of accomplishment welling up inside of her as she spoke. I could tell she really needed someone to speak to by the way she rambled, and I felt happy knowing I was letting them vent all their pent up feelings.

"Then... Then we went to a town nearby." That sense of confidence faded as Chaewon began to recount the final test for the ceremony.

** _An hour before their encounter - Chaewon POV_ **

My anxieties were at an all time high again, telling me I was going to fail. Telling me I wasn't ready and to just run away, yet I did what I always did, and shook my head at the thoughts. Despite that, I was still white-knuckling my cane as we went to a village in the Twelveswood. The guildmaster said there would most likely be someone there that was afflicted with some kind of borderline lethal injury, seeing as they hunted wild animals. Besides, it'd be silly to become a White Mage solely on offensive / defensive magic alone, we were healers first and foremost.

I had doubted myself even for those preliminary tests, but this one terrified me to no end. As hard as I tried, I just couldn't bring myself to... Heal properly. I was decent at protecting myself, but what was the point in being a healer if I couldn't do what I was meant to do. I never really showed any progress in this regard over the three years I'd been training and it was more than discouraging.

What was going to change this time around?

Even if by some miracle I passed, did I even deserve to be a White Mage if I couldn't be consistent?

I scrunched my face up, trying another way to get rid of these thoughts.

"Chaewon, child, if the wind changes your face will stay like that." poked E-Sumi. I pouted at him for treating me like an actual child, but if he was trying to take my mind off things, it worked briefly. I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed we had walked into the village. I rarely spent time outside of the guild and my house, so this was a new experience for me. The previous healing tests were on site in the guild, I didn't even know where we were because I hadn't paid any attention to the path. There were many houses built solely from wood, some had metal foundations, but most were constructed only with wood. They all looked relatively similar, save the townsfolk adding their own painting flairs or various floral decorations. I'd have thought being in an unfamiliar place would only add to the anxiety, but the Twelveswood was beautiful. We walked by many people and the guildmaster nodded and smiled to everyone while I hid behind him, clutching at his robe afraid to meet anyone's eyes.

We arrived at the doorstep of a small dark oak house. The door's red paint was wearing, likely because of the elements and the roof painted the same colour was too. E-Sumi raised their hand to the door and knocked twice. A few seconds passed before the door opened and an elderly Elezen woman greeted us.

"Hello there! The healers from the conjurer's guild I presume?" Her voice was shaky, but gentle. Elezen lived much longer lives than the other races, yet I had never seen an elderly Elezen in the flesh until now. Maybe that wasn't saying much though as I wasn't exactly someone who travelled often. We stepped inside the quaint home after she gestured for us to come in, smiling and nodding at her as we took in our surroundings. The house was simple, but beautifully decorated. I didn't know much about interior design as our house wasn't much, but everything in here definitely felt like it belonged. There were faint traces of dust you could see through the light from the windows, but there was rarely a speck on the furniture and decorations.

"Hello Miss Obitte, this is Chaewon. She is currently undergoing a test to graduate." My heart sank, but I nodded and smiled at her, still hiding behind the guildmaster.

"Aw love, thank you for coming and I hope you do well!" She crouched down to meet my gaze as I heard a bone or two pop and held out her lengthy hand. My hand's size severely contrasted hers, but I grabbed a finger and shook it lightly.

"How precious..." she chuckled before patting my head, I felt a blush coming on and smiled shyly at the floor.

"My Son is this way, whenever you're ready!" She was such a gentle soul, and as much as it put me at ease, I would feel horrible if I couldn't heal what was afflicting her son. We walked through a short hallway before she knocked on a door calling out to her son.

"Labert sweetie, the Conjurer's are here!" She called out from our end. I heard a cough and a swear, before an annoyed voice rang out.

"Yeah, yeah come in." Obitte had already opened the door with the first confirmation. My eyes had to adjust to the sudden darkness of the room, the rest of the house was lit by natural sunlight. The deep red curtains blocked out most of the sunlight, the only source of light behind us from the house. Labert winced at the sudden flash of light, holding a hand up before his face, his other clutching his stomach. It was difficult to discern the exact ages of Elezen, but he looked much younger than his mother. Shoulder length light brown hair covered most of his face, some of it sticking up as he probably woke up from a nap of sorts.

"Can you seal this bleedin' wound already?" He commanded, Obitte scolding him immediately at his rude behaviour. Great, not only was I afraid of failing this sweet old woman, her son was an aggressive jerk. I rolled my eyes at his comment and the guildmaster noticed, giving me his own silent scolding. I looked away, pouting, surely I deserved at least that.

"This is Chaewon, she is currently undergoing training thus it cannot b--" E-Sumi was cut off by the rude Elezen.

"Yeah, yeah she might not seal the bleedin' wound whatever, it was a fre--Ouch!" He was put into his place by his mother who elbowed him near the wound. Her gentle expression from before all but faded as she stared at him in anger.

"They're here out of the goodness of their hearts and you'd dare speak to them like that? I may as well get them to leave." I really did want to leave, to save this for another day or skip it entirely but he fell silent and began to stare down at his injury.

"I-I'm sorry..." He mumbled. I wasn't going to do this for him, but for Obitte. He began to undo the bandages, and I couldn't help but cringe at the gash along his stomach. It must've been made by some wild animal's claw, it wasn't too deep but it also wasn't an injury one could take lightly. I looked up at the Guildmaster who promptly nodded at me and mouthed "good luck!"

I approached the bed, the Elezen man had propped himself up so that he was sitting at the edge. The smell of the disinfectant didn't do much against Labert's body odour and I scrunched up my nose hoping he'd think it was because of the wound. I inspected it, tilting my head from side to side as if it'd give me new information and I held my hand out in front of it. I closed my eyes and focused on the wound, and eventually I saw it. An aetherial white outline of the wound appeared in my mind and I smiled to myself. I concentrated on it's exact position before directing my aether toward my hand. A faint humming noise filled the room, and a faint green light was being emitted from my tiny hand. It began to disperse toward the wound and I saw it begin to seal slightly, I closed my eyes again and saw the outline begin to close up.

I was doing it, I was really doing it!

Suddenly, the outline disappeared from my mind and I opened my eyes in shock. The light from my hand was starting to fade, and so was the humming.

No no no no no. Please.

It ceased, I could feel my aether running to my hand, yet there was no physical evidence of it.

"Give it another shot Chaewon, you've done about half." E-Sumi's voice wasn't gentle anymore, I didn't have to look at him to feel that he was slightly disappointed. My chest got tighter as I did my best to channel more aether to my hand, and I felt it course through, but nothing was coming out?! Why?! My eyes began to gloss over, but I desperately continued. I heard Labert click his tongue, but I didn't expect what came next.

"It's fine erm... Miss Chaewon. Thank you for trying, I didn't even expect you to get this much of it closed anyway!" I stopped holding out my hand and instead lowered my head to look at the bedside rug beneath me, tears finally leaving my eyes.

"You've only been at this for a year at most, it usually takes a bit past that I've heard." He was trying to comfort me, yet didn't know I'd been 'at this' for three.

"I..It's been three." I mumbled.

"Sorry, what was that?" he asked, I felt like he lifted his hand toward his ear.

"Three years. I've been at this for three years." I was still staring down at the rug, my hands now balled into fists.

"Three bleedin' years?! You've been at it for three years and you can onl--" his tone immediately shifted before being cut off by his mother again. I couldn't take it anymore, he had the right of it, honestly. Everyone had already graduated by year two at most, only those really gifted took a year. Before I knew it, I had broken into a sprint out of the house. I heard the guildmaster call out to me but I ignored him, sprinting out into the village and past its border.

I ran and ran as far as I could go before I was exhausted, crying the whole way. I didn't even have time to take in my surroundings when I stopped for a rest as I now had a bow trained on me.

** _The Ex-Dragoon - Hyunjin_ **

_Hyunjin is a Dragoon that grew up in the cold climes of Ishgard. She was a child soldier drafted for the Dragonsong War. She had made a name for herself as she quickly rose to the ranks, showing off her natural prowess in agility and wielding a lance. Her peers were often jealous of her success, eventually bullying her out of the garrison through fake rumors of bribery. The once renowned Dragoon now wanders as a mercenary and slayer of notorious marks without a home. Currently, Hyunjin was on a hunt with a fellow mercenary to cull a Voidsent making trouble in the Twelveswood._

I really wish we had Chocobos or something. It's not like I was a stranger to travelling long distances on foot, but it'd be nice you know? I stretched my arms as I walked, looking toward my hunt companion who was quite on edge, sword and shield at the ready despite us walking for an hour with no conflict. I met him while appraising the hunt board in the adventurer's guild back in Gridania, we both reached out to the Voidsent mark at the same time and looked at one another. He was a Miqo'te, just like me and didn't strike me with much of a presence. Most Miqo males took their traditional heritage a little too far, acting as if they were the alpha of every group they came across, it was more than annoying. Theizan however was quite young, meek and soft spoken, it was hard for him to even meet my eyes at the hunt board. He honestly didn't look a day over 16. More than curious I asked him why he was here and I quickly learnt that it was his first hunt and he wanted to start somewhere, but didn't know how. I wasn't too fussed about the gil, as I had more than enough from previous hunts so I decided I'd break him into it as it didn't look too difficult, just some mischievous little shite causing trouble for the wildlife. Before I knew it, we were out here in the Twelveswood practically right after introducing ourselves, and I couldn't help but feel that he was too shy to say no to my company.

"So, you know how to use that?" I pointed at his simple bronze shortsword. He snapped his head toward me at my first word, clearly jumpy at everything.

"U-Uh, yeah I... Yeah I guess?" His shoulders rose slightly as he tensed up. I was going to say the worst piece of advice ever, but I just... Really needed him to know.

"Theizan, relax." I sighed, knowing how dumb it was to hear that.

"We'll be fine. Have you ever had combat experience?" I asked, noticing I literally just picked this kid and took him with me out of nowhere. I scanned his outfit as I asked him the question. He wore light chainmail beneath a deep blue coat, simple pants and cobalt plated jackboots that extended to his thighs.

"Yeah, um. Somewhat. On a dummy I suppose." Oh... this. Oh.

"So like, no living targets? No sparring? Nothing?" I asked, dumbfounded as to why someone as green as this was looking for marks to slay.

"N-No... I live alone, my father left when I was born and my mother was slain... by... a voidsent a year ago." He struggled to say those last words.

"Killing this one ain't gonna bring her back kid." I had walked in front of him and stopped him in his tracks. A serious expression on my face.

"I-I know! I just... I want some kind of revenge." Frustration wracked his words, yet he averted his gaze and looked down at the stone path. He clearly wasn't ready for any of this, and wasn't even brave enough to look me in the eye.

"Go back." My expression went from serious to straight faced.

"What?!" He finally looked up at me.

"I said. Go back." I wore the same expression.

"What? No! Why?" That same frustrated tone was now coupled with confusion.

"You're not ready. You're just going to die out here." It was true, there was no way he could fight anything in the state he was in, the poor sod probably never lifted a finger ay another living being.

"What do you know Hyunjin?!" He lashed at me in a sudden burst of anger.

"I know that you're not ready. Are you really out here thinking you're going to kill something after hitting a dummy a few times? Besides, revenge? What a silly motivation to have yourself killed." I stepped toward him as I talked, his sudden display of confidence all but fading with each step.

"You need proper training. I said I'd teach you how hunting worked, not how to fight." I shook my head at him, bringing my palm to my face. I acted too quickly on my impulses, the more I thought about it, the stupider I thought I was. Why did I invite this random kid? Why didn't I probe him more at the guild. I let out an exasperated sigh and was about to tell him to go back once more before he spoke again.

"Fine." His fist grasped the shortsword tightly and it vibrated as he contained his emotions. I saw glistening objects fall to the floor, most likely tears. I didn't really know the kid, so it didn't affect me too much but I still felt a bit bad.

"Tell you what. You can watch me, and I'll just let you take the mark. We've already walked about an hour." He wiped the tears from his eyes, still looking down and sniffled. He nodded slightly, and began to walk forward, dragging his feet behind him.

"You're not gonna get it for free, though. When we get back, you're buying me a loaf of sweet bread with some of the gil." He looked back at me with tears still in his eyes but smiled and nodded before turning to walk away.

"Thanks, Hyunjin. I'm sorry." He had his back to me and I barely made out what he said. I nodded for some reason, thinking he'd see it, before I told him it wasn't a problem.

We walked in silence for another ten minutes save an occasional sniffle out of him before we reached the area it was last sighted. It was an ugly blue imp with a giant head, it's eyes black as pitch. It wouldn't be too difficult to find in this mass of greenery. We took point at a nearby tree and began to scout the area. It wasn't long before I felt a tap on my shoulder, and Theizan pointed out some mossy ruins. I nodded to him, reaching behind me to unbuckle my lance. They were cobblestone ruins, a small gazebo with an altar in the middle. We approached slowly, Theizan's shield was raised, his sword readied at his side, at least he knew the basics. I spun my lance from my back and held it with both hands at the ready. We approached the altar, and there was some kind of idol on it, and I felt compelled to reach toward it. I was about to, but Theizan lightly slapped my hand with his shield before looking at me confused.

"What are you doing?!" A serious expression on his face. I blinked twice, shaking my head.

"S-Sorry, I just fel--" I was cut off as he suddenly shoved me to the side. Before I even had the time to ask why the hell he did that, I heard a high pitched screech. I used the end of the lance to steady myself, spinning around to see that the Miqo'te had gashed our target's face. The imp squealed and fluttered about, grasping at it's face as it snarled. I took this as a time to strike, piercing it's gut with my polearm. It let out a gurgle as it went further into it's stomach, a deep purple liquid oozing over the spearhead. I held it out a bit, nonchalantly pointing it at Theizan before he lopped off it's head before I could say anything. I was taken aback by the sudden overkill but saw him breathing heavily, fear in his eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey. Woah. Are you alright kid?" I sheathed the lance, extending a hand toward him in worry. He was scared out of his mind, his tail was stiff, and his ears completely up. I never considered myself a person who knew how to comfort others, if anything I tried to avoid situations that would require them to be comforted. I stood in place for a moment, thinking about how to go forward. I looked down at the floor only for a moment before I heard a sputter and a red liquid splattering before my feet.

Huh? I jumped backwards, flinching at the sudden liquid in my peripheral before looking up at Theizan. His eyes were wide and blood was trickling down the sides of his mouth. His eyes grew wider with fear as I saw the end of a sword suddenly shoot out from his stomach. He grasped at the top of the blade, struggling to breathe through his own blood. He looked at me in terror as tears began to trail down his cheeks. He began to mouth my name and I snapped back into reality, searching for the source of his pain. It was then that I saw a larger humanoid figure behind him floating above the ground slightly.

"Tsk, Tsk. You know that was one of my loyal pets, right?" A deep voice from behind Theizan piped up, a pale face peeking out from atop his head. Whatever it was, it had long, black, ram-like horns curling around the side of their face. It ripped the sword from the Miqo'te's wound and he fell limp to the floor, blood beginning to pool through the cracks in the cobblestone. I was frozen in fear, I only looked away for a second and now he was dying on the floor.

"Well, no matter. I can replace it now." I looked back at the horned humanoid, they donned black, form-fitting leather jumpsuit, their chest semi-exposed. I spun my lance from my back once again, shakily pointing it toward the talking demon as I stepped back once.

"Oh, dear. I can see the fear in your eyes, that simply won't do!" It's head craned toward me as it inspected the now-unconscious Theizan, it's pitch black eyes staring deep into my soul. I'd only heard tales, but it also explained the compelling feeling I had to grab the idol from the altar. It had a male-like figure, and seemed to possess some kind of dark power. I had heard of tales of demons I was used to hunting creatures of the wild, not intelligent demons with cursed magicks. The Incubus nodded at the body before it began to spasm wildly and I watched in terror as a darkness enveloped Theizan. When it dispersed, it was no longer the Miqo'te I saw at the guild, he was now a bastardised version of himself. His skin turned purple, his eyes black and blood dripping from the sides of his sockets as he moved around irregularly. I held my hand up to my mouth, gagging into it as that sick Incubus cackled. A few moments ago we were travelling together, and I just helplessly watched as he was turned into... A monstrosity.

"Well, well, enjoy trying to survive!" He cackled harder, before twirling and disappearing into the same darkness that enveloped Theizan moments ago. I held my lance toward the now turned Theizan, trembling and backing off.

"T-Theizan, i-it's me! Hyunjin!" I called out to him in desperation, maybe it'd work, I don't know? I was panicking and didn't want to do anything to hurt him. Sure, he might've been a monster now, but what if he could be saved? I was cut short on my accumulating worries as he charged toward me, sloppily swinging his sword as he let out a groan. I deflected a blow with the handle of the spear, sending him off balance. I kicked him away as hard as I could so that he fell to the floor and before he could react, I pinned him to the ground, using the handle of the spear to press against his neck. I wanted to do nothing except cry, but my life was in danger and my survival instincts completely kicked in.

"H-hyUNjInn HElP mE" he groaned. Oh my god, he was really still in there. I flinched at the sudden plea, only temporarily loosening my grip, but that's all he needed to throw me off. I used the spear to vault up, kicking him again in the process, but I also brought the blunt end down on his head, hard. He staggered, and I ran. I sprinted as fast as I could in the opposite direction and didn't look back.

But I could hear him.

He was coming.

I screamed, I yelled for help, anything. My voice was giving out, and I was getting more than tired. The adrenaline was wearing off, and I had been through so much emotional stress that my endurance training didn't apply anymore.

"KEEP RUNNING!" I heard someone yell, I turned to the source of the voice, a purple haired Miqo'te in the distance pulled out a harp. What in the hells was she intending to do with that? She played a short melody before extending her palm toward me. I didn't understand the point until I felt reinvigorated and I daresay I was now running faster.

"THIS WAY!" The purple haired miqo yelled while rapidly beckoning to me. I saw her knock an arrow and my heart dropped.

"NOTHING LETHAL, PLEASE!" I yelled, still sprinting in her direction. I saw her turn to a nearby tree and nod, she promptly lowered her bow. I ran past her, trying to grab her arm to have her run alongside me but she wasn't having any of it. I skidded to a halt, only to see a blonde Lalafell I hadn't seen earlier pop out from behind the tree the harp-player nodded to. She took a deep breath before an orb of water appeared before her. She flung it toward Theizan, pointing her cane at him. It surrounded him briefly, before falling to the floor and popping. However, the rogue miqo'te was now bound to the earth by what seemed like chains of water. He struggled, snarled and groaned. The purple haired miqo'te had her bow trained on his head, and I approached alongside her. Panicking and unsure of what to do, I appraised the two of the rough situation, beginning with him turning at the hand of the Incubus.

"I can't... Hold him forever you know, you need to make a choice miss..." the Lalafell spoke up. My heartbeat quickened, and I looked toward the kid unable to bring my lance against him. My mind flashed back to him asking for help earlier, which meant he was still in there. But, now, I had dragged two other people into this mess and they could potentially die because of me too.

"Miss! Please! Do something!" screamed the Lalafell, she was struggling to keep the bindings on as he thrashed about violently. Why? Why did I have to make this decision? Why did I have to deal with this? All I wanted to do was make a living, travel, get away from Ishgard. But, there were two other people now, and they both looked like they'd never hurt anyone before, the archer's aim was unsteady and I didn't want to force a stranger to kill somebody.

"HyUnJIN... PlEasE... hElPPpP!" He sounded like he was in so much pain, surely it would be better to just end him. I shook my head and screamed, thrusting my lance toward him only to stop mere moments before his face. I couldn't do it, I was used to killing dragons, used to killing deranged wildlife, not people. I dropped my spear, startling the two. The arrow fired off, grazing his cheek and he yelled, spooking the Lalafell who dropped the water bindings.

Time slowed as Theizan lunged at me with his sword, and at this point I accepted that I deserved this. If I hadn't brought him along, this wouldn't have happened, he was 16 for fucks sakes. I closed my eyes, ready to accept my death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Theizan... I don't know why I did him so dirty >.>  
I really liked writing this one honestly, I'm looking forward to writing more Go Won stuff I have a lot of plans c:
> 
> Please consider following me on twitter for updates!
> 
> twt: @MitsukiYatane


	5. Back in Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You told yourself you weren't going to help anyone or get involved anymore...

** _The Lone Wolf - Hyejoo_ **

_Hyejoo is a shell of the Black Mage she once was, wandering alone and staying away from crowds. You wouldn't believe she used to be a starry eyed adventurer, wanting nothing more than to join a party and explore Luuna to their heart's content. Everything fell apart for Hyejoo when the paladin of her first party was slain on their third expedition. The Black Mage was more than capable, however her party was not. Being naive, she joined the first party she could, one already falling apart as the previous mage left due to verbal abuse. Constant conflict plagued the party, even when trying to traverse their first dungeon. Since the Paladin's death, Hyejoo has wandered on her own and vowed only to look out for herself. The Black Mage has survived for this long on their own due to their natural talent, and their ability to critically think and plan even under immense pressure._

You said you wouldn't help anyone anymore Hyejoo, that you wouldn't interfere with other people's business. I was gathering a variety of mushrooms for my alchemy before I heard someone yelling for help. I ducked behind a tree, dusting off the dirt from being so close to the ground and peeked out to see a black haired Miqo'te running from a Miqo'te male swinging his sword wildly. Before I knew it, I was trailing them through the cover of the trees and repeating my words to myself. I knew I couldn't help everyone, but I couldn't bring myself to turn a blind eye after hearing how desperate their pleas were. I'd just help out and leave. Nothing more, and if it was less, I couldn't do anything about it, it wouldn't be my fault.

I continued to trail them for about 5 minutes before hearing another voice telling the Miqo'te to keep running. I adjusted my position so that I could keep watch of both groups while staying in hiding. A Lalafell bound the pursuer with white magic and I let out a sigh of relief knowing they had it under control. I wouldn't have to do anything. I was about to head the other way before I heard the pursuer growling and snarling. That wasn't usually what people did, right? I stealthily edged closer and got a better look at him. The poor sod had been Void Tempered. Often, higher ranking voidsent would temper humanoids and other living beings to bolster their ranks, or to keep as slaves. With our current knowledge, there was no way to save them as they were practically already dead and every ounce of their aether now belonged to the voidsent who tempered them. I lay in wait, three people were more than enough to deal with this situation but I couldn't help but be curious.

Just kill him already, I thought to myself as the Miqo'te Dragoon paced about in front of him. She was putting these two strangers in danger for nothing? You might know the guy, but he's long gone now, surely she knew this at least. My heart sank however, as it called out what I presume was her name and asked for help. I had forgotten that although there was no saving them, a part of them still 'lived' on inside. She screamed and I felt the emotional struggle she was going through, and silently praised her for being so strong as she thrust her spear toward him. I averted my eyes only to shortly hear metal clattering on the ground and a gutteral cry.

I dashed toward them knowing the danger of this situation. The Dragoon was ready to die, but as long as I could stop it, I wasn't going to let that happen. I had unconsciously made my way closer to them than I initially thought, so even I was surprised that I had enough time to dash in and interrupt the strike with my staff. My arm stiffened as it began to bring the blade down, he was stronger than I thought. I kept my arm stiff and reached down to my hip, unsheathing my dagger and plunging it into his neck with my free hand. I kicked the staggering tempered away and flung a ball of fire its way, setting it ablaze. It cried in pain as it tried to put itself out, and I ended it's misery by casting a stronger version, incinerating the tempered immediately. I let out a large sigh before I remembered three other people were here too.

"WE COULD'VE DONE SOMETHING! HE... HE WAS STILL IN THERE!" The black haired Miqo'te clutched at my robes, yelling at me. I shook my head at her.

"You wouldn't have been able to. He was long gone, I'm sorry." I said bluntly, perhaps a little too coldly.

"How do you know that?! I would've... I would... HE WAS JUST A KID! 16! 16 BLEEDING YEARS OLD." Her eyes were glossing over and she gripped my clothes so tight they may have torn. I wore the same stoic expression I always did, I didn't know the guy, why would I be affected? It's also not like I've never killed anyone before.

"How can you be so... stoic? You... you just K... K... Killed someone!" The purple haired Miqo'te spoke through her hand covering her mouth. It took her a while to even get the word killed out. Was she disgusted? Shocked? Both? Either way, I shrugged, expression unchanging.

"I'm no stranger to it. Besides, he wasn't... someone anymore." I looked down at the sobbing miqo'te, and back to the archer. My eyes flitted toward the Lalafell who was holding her head in her hands, shaking uncontrollably. Her... Aether was off. I wanted to inspect it further, to stare a bit longer, but she passed out and caught the attention of the purple Miqo'te.

"C-Chaewon?!" Gasped the purple haired miqo'te, who ran to her side. She was panicking, lightly shaking her and calling out her name. I slowly pried the black haired miqo'te from my cloak before walking toward the unconscious Lalafell. I placed a finger at her neck and felt a slight pulse.

"She's fine, just... Unconscious I guess." I looked up at the archer, I didn't even know anyone's name save this unconscious white mage.

"What do you mean, you guess?! Why did she pass out?!" Her eyes widening.

"I don't know, shock perhaps?" I shrugged nonchalantly. She was honestly fine, but they were acting like any normal person would I guess. I wouldn't be surprised at them thinking I was some kind of freak for being so calm about a situation like this. Though, I was like them all during the run of incidents with my one and only party.

"Look, why don't... We all try to calm down for a bit. We're not going to get anywhere like this." Surprisingly, these words didn't come out of my mouth, but the previous sobbing wreck of a Lancer behind me. Her head was hung low, hair covering her face as she sat in the dirt, but those words came from her.

"You. Au-ra. What's your name?" I felt my heart stop for a moment, shocked I felt fear. Maybe it was the hair obstructing her face and sudden shift in tone.

"Um. Olivia. I'm a Black Mage, yours?" I used Olivia as an alias for myself, never telling anyone who I really was since the old group. Why Olivia? The White Mage used to call me olive, simply because my hair and scales were black. Before I could even think of missing her, I silently tugged the thoughts away.

"Hyunjin. Dragoon." Her sudden shift in behaviour was unnerving, so I turned to the archer, tilting my head slightly at her.

"O-Oh, um. Yerim, I'm a uhm. A Bard." Ah, I hadn't noticed her harp until now, that explained a bit more. I nodded to both of them, unsure if the Dragoon could even see me. I scooped up the Lalafell, she was unsurprisingly light and turned toward Hyunjin.

"Well, what would you like to do? I'll follow you guys until we've reached a destination." It was odd to be saying this while essentially cradling someone who had the body type of a toddler. Hyunjin hoisted herself to her feet using her lance, head still hung low.

"I'm gonna go bury the kid. You can leave or wait." She turned away from us, not once showing us her face as she dragged her feet toward his singed corpse. A giant hollowed out tree was nearby, and the sun was beginning to set so I decided to take cover under it. I looked back toward Yerim who was clearly conflicted on who to be with, so I offered my input.

"Leave her be, we'll wait unless you knew him too?" She shook her head, skittishly propping herself in front of me before dragging her palms down her face. She leaned back, head resting on the tree as she stared at the fading strands of sunlight peeking through the various holes of the log.

"Talk to me, please. I don't want to think about things for a while, it always ends bad." She said weakly, still staring at the ceiling of the tree. I... Wasn't a good conversationalist, if anything I was horrid at it so I sat there in silence for a while trying to think of something. I wracked my brain for something, anything, gods was I so inept. My poor social skills only further confirmed when Yerim piped up once more.

"Gods, just when I thought the day couldn't get any worse, this happens." She rambled for a while, about what her day was like. How as soon as she landed she had lost her airship ticket and had to convince them she hadn't snuck aboard. How she was chased further into the twelvsewood by wolves. I chuckled slightly at how unfortunate she had been, apologising profusely for laughing at her misfortune. She shot me a silght grin as if to tell me it was fine, and continued to ramble about this emotionally exhausting day.

"Well if for some reason my misfortune makes you happy, I can be happy too." She shot me another weak smile, clearly exhausted from today's events. I felt bad, but that seemed like a genuine statement. I shook my head at her, hoping she picked up that it wasn't like that and she smiled again. We sat in silence for a while longer as she thought some more, her next sentence one I hadn't anticipated.

"I've never killed anyone before." Her face fell, a serious expression as she looked up once more. I squinted at her subconsciously, trying to get some kind of reading on her.

"So, I was shocked. It happens a lot in our world, but I guess I've just never seen it first hand." I lowered my head, feeling bad that I had probably introducd alll three of them to the true concept of fighting to survive. It was a lot easier for me since he was well... not himself anymore and there was no saving him, but he was practically still alive to them no matter the circumstances.

"It... isn't my first time, if you couldn't tell." I averted my gaze from hers, yet I feel she didn't look at me anyway. I tried to focus my attention on something else as I was trying to think of a follow-up. Why did I say that? For what reason? Conversation? My line of thinking was cut off as the Lalafell stirred in my lap, I had almost forgotten they were here. The small blonde curled in my lap, adjusting into a better position. I shuffled slightly to accomodate for it, and rested my hand atop their head when they were done. Yerim stared at me, a stoic look changing to one of confusion only to finally settle on a warm smile. I blushed slightly averting my gaze from the bard's, realising what I had done almost instinctively with the lalafell.

"I'm glad to see you're not completely cold hearted." She nodded, before resting her head back once more and staring at the ceiling. I wasn't heartless, I just learnt how to weather these kind of things, to not react so heavily and to put my survival first. It was necessary when travelling alone, but sometimes I did miss wanting to be in a group.

No.

Don't think about that Hyejoo.

I shook my head and closed my eyes for a while.

"Hey, Olivia." I blinked twice, looking up to see Hyunjin's boots before me. It was darker now, sunlight was no longer making its way into the tree. Had I really fallen asleep? That wasn't like me and was dangerous, I scolded myself silently as I took in my now darkened surroundings. A light was emanating from nearby, the campfire close to the tree now lit and radiating a comforting warmth. I was about to get to my feet before a weight on my lap reminded me of the Lalafell that still slept soundly. I slowly lowered myself, chuckling lightly under my breath before Hyunjin noticed.

"Oh, so that's where she was, I couldn't find her..." She sad in a hushed tone, smiling sweetly. It was too early to tell, but I feel as if she had healed ever so slightly from the incident earlier.

"Yerim's still asleep as well. I don't think it'll be safe to head back in the dark." I nodded in agreement with her and offered to keep watch while she got her own much deserved rest and she happily obliged. I sat in silence for a while, only hearing the occasional chirp of crickets and other insects alongside the crackling of the fire. I felt the Lalafell stir and didn't think much of it as it was far from the first, but they rolled off my lap onto the dirt, letting out a small "oof". I had held my hand out too late to catch them as they were now face first in the grass and I bit my lip to stifle laughter. They lay there for a while, and I had thought them still asleep until they turned over, face now staring at the ceiling.

"The tree again?" They said, before turning toward me. I nodded in response, unsure of what kind of conversation to go with. I stayed silent as usual until someone else prompted conversation.

"I'm Chaewon by the way, oh and before you ask I'm a girl!" I had assumed from the beginning, but like most young Lalafell, it was difficult to tell for sure.

"Olivia." She looked at me, as if expecting me to say more but I awkwardly broke eye contact.

"I don't hate you or anything, don't worry I'm just very sheltered and it's not like I don't think this stuff happens and whatnot I've just not been out of the guild or Gridania for all that matter so everything is just-" she took a breath, having said all of that in one sentence.

"-overwhelming for me and honestly I didn't expect my first day out to have a death involved and oh gosh this is all so much to process I literally just woke up from passing out, huh?" She looked toward me again, that same expectant expression on her face. I frowned for a while, thinking about how this was the worst dynamic for me as I wasn't much for conversation and someone expecting some from me genuinely exhausted me.

"I-I'm sorry, um. Sorry." I felt a pang of guilt as she apologised, for pretty much nothing but I was inept so she blamed herself. I looked at her, shaking my head and hoping she picked up on it like Yerim did.

"Um. Sorry? I... I don't understand." I looked down at the floor, swallowing hard.

"No it's just... I'm not very good at conversation is all. It's not your fault." I sighed. She pouted adorably, which generally wasn't a difficult thing for a Lalafell to achieve.

"Look, I'm... I... When... When people are expectant of me socially, I don't really think it matches well with... my personality and...I know I just met you and maybe I'm jumping to conclusions... I don't want to off..end..." The Lalafell turned their body to face me, giving me their full attention and even scooted closer.

"I... words are hard..." she chuckled at how my rambling ended and I couldn't help but look to the floor in embarassment. I felt their small hand touch my knee, and I looked up once more, remembering her odd aether.

"Chaewon was it?" She nodded, smiling at the sudden conversation.

"Are you aware of your odd Aether?" I asked bluntly. She looked at me puzzled, before shaking her head.

"My... odd aether? Huh?" She brought a finger to her chin before looking around a while.

"Your aether seems... stifled. Restricted in a way, as if you're being held back." She would give off faint bursts of aether only to have it dissapate instantly, or it would build up and cease for a while. I explained this to her ad best I could, and instead of further confusion only wide eyes followed.

"Wait, really? Please don't be lying. Please." She frowned, yet I was confused. Why would this be something you would WANT to hear? It was basically some kind of affliction and if she specialised in magic it was far from ideal. Instead of thinking to myself, I asked for once.

"I'm not messing with you, but why exactly would this be news you WANT to hear?" I had reverted back to my stoic self, little to no emotion showing on my face or in my words.

"Its just... it would explain so much. Wait, how do you even know this Miss Olivia?" I cringed slightly at the unnecessary formality before explaining that I had an ability to faintly see one's aether with the naked eye. Usually people would question that, but she nodded in agreement all too easily.

"That's great... actually. I know you probably won't... know but would you be able to tell me how to fix... It?" I shrugged at her, maybe I could, and maybe not. I knew almost nothing about this affliction and I'd never seen it in anyone else.

"I'm not sure honestly. I've never seen this before." I averted my gaze again, unable to maintain eye contact for long periods of time.

"T-Then... Can you at least stay with me?" I flicked my head back toward the Lalafell wide-eyed, unsure if they knew the weight of their words.

"U-Um" I was cut off.

"I-I know that's selfish and you've probably got your own adventure to go on, but you're the closest thing right now to solving why I've been a Conjurer for three damn years." Her eyes began to gloss over before looking to the ground. I barely knew them, yet I felt compelled to help. She cried and cried as I sat in silence thinking about my vows and all the cons to sticking with people.

Surely one couldn't hurt, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Olivia's another fun one that I can't wait to write more about! I hope I'm doing them justice honestly!
> 
> Consider following me on twitter for updates!
> 
> twt: @MitsukiYatane


	6. The Scholar and The Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Scholar groggy from just having woken up on their study reminisces the past as they tidy their room. Their past comes knocking on the door shortly after.

** _The Astute Researcher - Jinsol_ **

_ Jinsol is a Scholar that loves to travel Luuna to discover things herself. The Scholar was a poster-child for someone who loved their job. If she wasn't sitting down and reading through an ungodly amount of tomes, she was outdoors on her feet rummaging through old ruins and unearthing history. Jinsol relished not in the riches that were brought about, but the thrill of discovery and history she could share with Luuna. One would think she lacked communication skills, but Jinsol was able to effectively portray her findings to other researchers. However, Jinsol would often get into precarious situations due to her tunnel vision when exploring dangerous ruins. Due to this, she now has an escort in employ to accompany her on her various field trips. _

Oh? Had I dozed off? I raised my head from the table, a trail of drool leaving my mouth as my head ascended. Embarrassed, I quickly wiped it away with my sleeve even though no one else was present. I blinked a few times, squinting as some light made it through my curtains. How long had I been out for, geez? Well, at least past me put her glasses away before sleeping. I groggily placed them on my face, adjusting them with my middle finger as I blinked a bit more. I leaned back in the hard wooden chair, raising my arms and stretching my back to release a yawn. I held the back of the chair, twisting my torso for that satisfying back crack before promptly slumping onto the desk again.

I played with my pen for a while, unsure of what to do. I stared at my study, various historical tomes littered the desk I had just slept on and I sighed. Had I even registered any of the information from last night? I sat there for a while wracking my brain for the knowledge I may have gained only to sigh as I couldn't focus. I slumped backwards in my chair again, poking at the stack of tomes before groaning and shifting them around to their respective places on the nearby shelves. I looked across my room, I thought if I was already cleaning I may as well go all the way. My eyes trained on the fish-tank and I practically skipped over to it.

"Gooood morning fishies!" I said as if they could understand me. I really should give them names eventually. I owned one blue betta, and a red betta on the left and right side of the tank respectively. At first I blocked them off from one another with a glass pane, only to regret it as they tried to fight one another through it. I eventually settled on a heavily tinted pane so that they couldn't see one another. The Blue Betta's side was decorated with varying designs of sunken ships, treasure, driftwood and seaweed while the Red Betta's side had things like a volcano that spewed out bubbles, small caves carved from rock and lots of pebbles. I fed them both nodding to myself in agreement as I crouched in front of the aquarium and watched them for a few minutes.

Eventually I pried myself away from them and began to fix my bed I failed to sleep in, lifting the blanket up and down in a quick motion as it floated down perfectly on my first go. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much to clean up in my room as I had a tendency to not like it when things were messy save my study desk. I sat back down on the study chair and tapped my foot for a while. What was it I was going to do today again? Oh, right, the Warrior and I were going to head out to Gridania for a few days. I recruited a personal escort about two weeks ago after I got a slight injury in the field. I went for a usual stroll in La Noscea and wanted to gather some soil samples from some ruins I had found nearby only to be attacked by a Coeurl protecting it's cubs a small distance from said ruins. Before I could react it had swiped at my face, catching a lot of the bridge of my nose and broke my glasses. I stumbled backwards, blood trailing down my face and turned around to run as far as possible as it roared at me. My heartbeat was uncontrollable and by the time I stopped to heal myself it was too late to walk out without a significant scar. That wasn't the only time I had been in situations like that, but it was the only time I genuinely considered how dangerous it was to be wandering around alone, tunnel visioned on my expedition. So, if I couldn't help it, why not have someone watch my back?

It wasn't difficult to find someone, it was easy to find some kind of mercenary looking for work in Limsa. The whole place was practically crawling with all sorts of people looking for work. Once I freshened up after that encounter I headed straight for the Drowning Wench, the local tavern of Limsa. I was quite overwhelmed at the amount of people here, being alone and all. I wasn't inept at communicating with people for sure, but I think anyone would be out of their element completely alone in such a lively tavern. To set myself up, I sat down at a table with some space open only to hear a Lalafell loudly recalling a recent endeavour. No one at the table had noticed me take a seat, completely captivated by this Lalafell's story. They wore heavy body armour with their helmet removed. The Lalafell had deep orange eyes with matching orange face paint, a surprisingly good contrast to their double-bunned hazel brown hair. They were telling a tale of how they slew 3 rabid coeurl that set themselves upon the Lalafell as easy prey. I couldn't help but feel how exaggerated the story was as they mentioned how they could throw their axe and have it boomerang it back to them. That wasn't... Possible for sure? Yet... Their words were so captivating, so well worded that I eventually began to listen while ignoring how impossible some of these feats may have seemed.

I hadn't even noticed how much time had passed by while listening to their various tales, the rest of the table gathered so close to this expert of words. I was snapped out of my trance when the Lalafell addressed me personally.

"Speaking of badass, how'd you get that scar blondie?" The Lalafell had been standing on their chair for a while now, and when addressing me slammed a foot on the table, resting their elbow above it and leaned forward. I flinched at the impact, their meals and drinks hopping slightly and I looked back at them, all eyes now trained on me. She smirked confidently and I couldn't help but do the same as I adjusted my glasses.

"Glad you asked." I raised an eyebrow playfully. I looked away, leaning to my side and placing an elbow on the table and stretched out my free hand as if to inspect my nails.

"Got it from fighting Coeurls myself. You said three, right? I'm not as strong as you but I was able to handle two on my own." Little white lie to get them interested wouldn't hurt, surely at least one of them would be willing to be a temporary hire at least.

"Oh yeah? You and what weapon, pipsqueak?" I scoffed at her remark, eyeing her up and down with a knowing look. I pulled out my trusty tome. It was leather-bound with silver lining with a blue betta engraved into the leather in the middle. I showed the cover off only to have the Lalafell burst into a fit of laughter while pointing at my tome. They almost fell onto their back, only to have the rest of the table catch them and hoist them back onto the table with a struggle. How... Heavy was that armour of theirs exactly? Two burly Roegadyn men were a part of that group as well as a male Hyur and female Miqo'te.

"What, you don't believe me  _ pipsqueak? _ " I playfully sneered at them, their laughter stopping almost instantly at my last word. The silent group had their mouths agape as they looked at one another.

"Oho, blondie you've made it so personal that we need names." They sneered back at me. I couldn't tell if I had actually struck a nerve or they were going along with my banter.

"Jinsol." I stated firmly.

"Yeojin, Miss Yeojin." They replied, still sneering.

"Call me that again and there'll be trouble, I'll let you off this time though since you're new here." She raised her head to look down at me from the top of the table. I shrugged, a doubtful look on my face.

"Alrighty then  _ Miss  _ Yeojin." I crossed my arms, and leaned back a bit to seem less confrontational.

"I know you can probably do magic shite, but on your own? Don't you types usually have a friend or something?" She shrugged, holding her hand out in a confused motion as she tilted her head to the side.

"Well, fancy you should ask that. If I can handle  _ two _ coueruls on my  _ own _ , and you  _ three _ ..." Her head tilted slightly more as I trailed off. She began to ponder for a bit, a playful grin spreading across her face as she understood what I was implying.

"Oho, but can you  _ afford _ me blondie?" She raised a playful eyebrow to which I reciprocated.

"Gil's no problem honey, I'm no ordinary Scholar." I adjusted my glasses once more as the silent group made an 'ooo' motion with their lips.

"Ohhhh, you're a part of the Scholar's researchin' here, huh?" I nodded in response to which she rolled her eyes.

"Ok fine, you can  _ afford _ me but gods be damned if I come on your boring trips. I'm out." She turned to face away from me, but before she got the chance to do so I spoke up.

"Do you  _ really  _ think  _ my _ trips are boring if I've come face to face with two coeurls? Those aren't the only things I've bumped into either Yeojin." She slowly turned back toward me.

"You know, I've never been asked to defend a Scholar personally, actually." An expression of heavy thought on their face as they stroked their round chin.

"Oh, you wouldn't be defending me Warrior, I'd be the one defending you." I grinned, only to be be stared at with a mix of confusion and anger from the Lalafell.

"Don't believe me, huh? Why don't we meet up sometime tomorrow and I'll show you  _ exactly  _ what I mean." Get her interested, don't seem desperate, set a time and then win her over. I almost smiled to myself before remembering exactly what it was I was doing.

"Intriguing to say the least, Miss Jinsol." That was the first time she had ever used my name.

"Very... Interesting indeed. You know what Miss Scholar? Lets do it. Can it be the afternoon though, I'm not exactly a morning person." All the tension from before had faded almost instantly and I smiled at her softly.

"Sure! I'm not one either if I'm being honest. How does an hour past noon sound Yeojin? The main plaza?" The still silent group looked at one another surprised, but also very impressed and I couldn't help but wink at them playfully while Yeojin pondered. She took a few moments to consider before she nodded to me a few times, a serious expression on her face, a severe contrast to her being so animated mere moments ago.

I retreated to my quarters that night with a feeling of pride and accomplishment before collapsing on my bed from mental exhaustion. I was one of those introverts that could easily seem extroverted and didn't mind it, but it still tired me out.

I awoke late into the next morning refreshed and lazed around in bed for a few minutes, grabbing the nearest history tome on my bedside table to do some light reading. Half a bell before our appointed meeting time I freshened up and sauntered to the plaza. Living practically right next to the plaza, I found myself there a lot earlier than needed so I decided to take a small trip to the marketplace. I thought that perhaps a small gift was in order for the Warrior, but I wasn't sure what they'd like. I shrugged and bought them carefully wrapped pieces of chocolate drops, surely anyone would be into this, right?

Surprisingly, they were on time at the appointed meeting place donning that same suit of armour. It was difficult to completely tell if it was her as they had the helmet on this time, I really just stood near and hoped they'd noticed instead of embarrassing myself by talking to someone that wasn't her. She flipped her visor up, greeting me with a toothy smile as she held out her tiny hand in a fist. I crouched down to her level before bumping hers with mine and I stayed at the same level for a while to hand her the chocolates.

"H-Huh? What's this?" She could barely tilt her head in the chunky suit of armour

"Just felt like getting you something!" I smiled, reassuring her that it was indeed a present.

"O-Oh... Thank you! Wow, no one's ever done this for me and we've just met, geez... WAIT I'M NOT ACCEPTING THIS AS THE PAYMENT BY THE WAY." Her initial bashful tone quickly shifted into a loud yell when that last thought caught up to her. Oh, I didn't even think of it that way but I could see that haha.

"Oh, heavens no! You can eat them now if you w--" Her stomach growled loudly, echoing through the interior of the steel armour.

"Yup. I'm gonna do that." I couldn't help but laugh, and she couldn't either.

From that day on, we became great allies. I was snapped back out of my past reminiscing by a loud sneeze from the hallway outside my quarters.

** _The Warrior of Many Tales - Yeojin_ **

_ Yeojin is a Warrior with a past so convoluted and eventful you could spend days talking to her about it. The Warrior 'claims' to have done many different things in their short life on Luuna, but one couldn't easily tell if she was exaggerating or lying. It was difficult to spin a tale and be so passionate and energetic in your recounts, thus some may have held credibility. A tale one would doubt given their stories, yet inexplicably true was her ability to captain a crew at sea. The Warrior at the time was merely a deckhand, but when her superiors fell to a mysterious sickness and the crew was in disarray, she took charge and safely got the crew to her home port of Limsa Lominsa. Currently, she is under the employ of Jinsol as a personal escort. _

I sneezed loudly and it echoed through the hallway to Jinsol's quarters. Whatever, it was like, noon surely people were awake anyway. Why did I even sneeze, I've got no allergies and I don't feel sick, wait why am I thinking of that day we first went on an expedition? Chocolates? I shook my head and the thoughts vanished instantly. My armour was more than enough noise as I clanked through the hallway. The first few times I even picked her up a manner of folk opened their doors to inspect the noise travelling down their hallway. I got a few yells, but they all apologised once Jinsol opened her door and welcomed me. At first I found it a chore to pick her up from her abode, but it quickly became a part of my routine when I saw how genuinely happy she got to see I continued to pick her up.

No one's ever really... Been so genuinely nice to me and stuck around? It always felt like I was just an entertainer at that place, and it wasn't entirely a bad thing but I never made a genuine connection with anyone until now. Usually everything was temporary, a short contract, a quick mercenary duty, nothing more. I won't lie, I felt that it'd be the same with Jinsol but she could keep up with my shenanigans but when she was tired, she also wasn't afraid to tell me that she needed a break. At first it scared me, at how bluntly she put it.

"Hey, Yeojin you're tiring me out a bit, I need some rest if that's okay?" I was so offended, so scared that she'd discard me if I gave her some time alone, but I let her have it. I visited her the next day for our planned expedition, wondering if I should even turn up to her quarters but she greeted me yet again with that same smile and warmth. My mind wandered, perhaps she would just use me when it was convenient for her, especially since she was acting like she didn't drop that bomb on me earlier. Being grumpy from lack of sleep that night from over-thinking, I asked her why she kept me around, and if she was just using me.

"Oh gods, that was really blunt wasn't it?" Visible panic spread across her face.

"Um, that wasn't the best way to put it, I guess. I'm... I'm not really a people person and I get tired from too much social interaction. You're genuinely fun to be around Yeojin, and I like our dynamic but please understand where I come from..." She pouted, looking down at me from her door frame. Yeah, she didn't mean anything by it, you could see it on her face, listen to how genuine her words were. I nodded and grinned so hard my eyes shut, this was definitely the kind of person I could see myself working for. I hadn't noticed how long I had been in thought or reminiscing until I heard my name muffled from behind the door I was standing at.

"Is that you? Um, I heard the armour but I haven't heard it for about... 5 minutes?" 5 Minutes?! Was I really that deep into this?

"Y-Yeah it's me! Sorry! I was uh, thinking about what we should eat for lunch." I stuttered a lie, Jinsol was good at reading people so I wouldn't have been surprised if--

"For 5 minutes?! No, seriously, are you okay? Did you get much sleep? You know we're going to Gridania today, right?!" She had opened the door by this point and had her brow increasingly furrowed at me as the barrage of questions ensued. Her eyebrows made her really expressive, like...  _ Really _ expressive, it was impressive.

"I'm fine! Just thinking about how dumb I was when we first hung out." She was taken aback by that statement and I couldn't help but stare at her eyebrows as they raised in surprise.

"Oh Yeojin... It's ok, I wasn't very good at communicating with you empathetically..." A look of sadness washed over her face as she averted her gaze, pangs of guilt penetrated my armour.

"O-Oh, no seriously haha..." My laughter trailed off and we stood in silence for a while, it was excruciating. Jinsol broke the silence with a hug and even though I was wearing armour I could feel the genuine warmth and concern she had. I returned it, patting her back once or twice and saying it really was fine.

"T-Thanks Miss Jinsol." I stuttered, thanking others and forming bonds was still a relatively new concept to me. She broke the hug and looked into my eyes, nodding and smiling as usual. I couldn't help but smile back and just as I was about to tell her I was hungry, my stomach did the talking for me. I rolled my eyes as she laughed.

"So, did you think of anything Yeojin? You know, in those 5 minutes?" That sly look she gave me when we first met at the Drowning Wench plastered across her face as we walked outside once more.

"Yeah, I did actually. That it's going to be a lunch on you!" I chuckled and sprinted down the hallway hearing her yell after me. I had outrun her ages ago, but I waited for her in the foyer. I never really took it into account, but she lived a few floors under The Admiral. Wow, why wasn't she just buying me meals everyday, it costs a damn fortune to live here?! Jinsol walked down the stairs, slightly out of breath and I questioned her.

"Hey! I'm just... Sponsored by the Scholars, I wouldn't have taken it but they insisted." She adjusted her round glasses with her knuckle shyly. I nodded to her, a slight 'makes sense' kinda nod, you know? We walked toward the Drowning Wench in silence, yet it wasn't a bad thing. We both knew that even if we didn't talk in every moment we spent with one another, nothing was bad about it, sometimes you just enjoyed the company.

"It's still your shout, right Jinsol?" I smiled up at her while removing my helmet. I was met with a 'fake offended' face, an exaggerated hand on the chest motion to go with it.

"You know what, fine." She rolled her eyes before booping me on the nose and giggling. I scrunched my nose at her and gave her a toothy smile.

I called people my friends before, but I've never felt so loved by someone in my life. I would never tell her this, but she was like the mother I never had. I guess I latched onto that notion when I realised a while back that I didn't actually know who my parents were, let alone if they were alive or not. It honestly didn't matter to me, not like I knew them. We sat at a table and I kicked my feet around below while I scanned the menu, placing my helmet on the table. I couldn't help but notice a regular worker burning holes into Jinsol.

Up until today, she had treated us like any other customers, but they were a tad too obvious at something changing all of a sudden. It was a Viera in the sailor uniform, the Wench's workforce attire. She stared so intently at the Scholar that she would barely pay attention to me. One of the only times she noticed me looking at her too, she flinched and did her best to look like she was busy with something else.

We finished our meal and Jinsol was none the wiser, yet I felt uneasy. I made up some kind of excuse to hang around the front of the tavern for a while to see if I could catch her following us. I didn't, but I still felt off.

"Hey, everything alright Yeojin?" She tilted her head at me.

"You didn't eat as much as I thought you would!" she laughed.

"Hey! I knew you were paying so I'm not going to be an arse about it!" Her mouth went agape for a moment, before she broke into another soft smile. Nodding as if to say thanks. She put me at ease, it was probably nothing, maybe she just liked her? I dunno. But I had an off feeling. Odd... I shrugged at myself, Jinsol not even noticing I had trailed behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interesting dynamic huh? I'm gonna have fun writing this unexpectedly cute duo! I wonder what that Viera is up to? 
> 
> ONE LAST INTRODUCTION! 
> 
> [Please look forward to it!]

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is Mitsu/Quinntsu! If you'd like to be updated and even look at stuff outside of the fic (e.g. An updating website) please consider following me on Twitter!  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitsukiYatane  
Curious Cat: https://curiouscat.me/Quinntsu  
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/quinntsu
> 
> I'm really enjoying writing this fic and I hope you enjoy reading it!
> 
> More to come:  
[Please look forward to it!]


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